Burton plaque unveiling

The Marchmont Association is delighted to announce the forthcoming unveiling of a commemorative plaque to James Burton, who was responsible for building much of the Foundling Hospital, Bedford and Skinners’ Company Estates between 1790 and 1820. The unveiling will take place on Wednesday 6th June at 2pm, on the corner of Lansdowne Terrace and Guilford Street WC1.

The plaque has been installed on his original Bloomsbury home, where he lived whilst building Guilford Street and the south side of Brunswick Square. After his extraordinary exploits in Bloomsbury, he went on to build the villas in Regent’s Park and several of the grand Nash designed terraces, working in partnership with his son, Decimus. Together they went on to build much of Regent Street and the new town of St Leonard’s on Sea.

We have tracked down a few surviving relatives of the great man, who will be unveiling the plaque in conjunction with Burton’s biographer and the Mayor of Camden.

We hope you will be able to join us for this important day in the history of our area.

We are grateful to the University of London for allowing us to install this plaque on their building, and for sponsoring it.

 

Green tokens

Marchmont Street Party 2018 is one of the Waitrose ‘green token’ good causes over the next 3-4 weeks.

If you are able, your support will ensure that we receive a healthy contribution towards the cost of children’s entertainers at the event, which takes place on Saturday 22^nd September.

MSP 2018 is once again being organised by the Marchmont Association in partnership with KCBNA, with the financial support of local businesses and a small grant from Camden Council, who will also be providing the roadclosure at no charge.

Many thanks

Ricci de Freitas

MSP 2018 Organiser

The suffragettes of Camden.

We’ve heard news of an exhibition to be held in Camden Local Studies and Archives Centre from 14^th June that will interest many of you.  “A Stone’s Throw from Westminster: Suffragettes and Other Feminists in Camden.”  is being curated by Dr Susan Croft and Irene Cockroft of Unfinished Histories.

It explores the contribution of suffrage activists based in Camden,  setting that history in the larger context of the struggle for women’s rights – from the militancy of the WSPU based in Kingsway to the law-abiding activism of Millicent Fawcett in Gower Street; from the 1912 Women’s March in Edinburgh that entered London at Camden Town to the suffragette who raced a stolen fire engine down Tottenham Court Road.

The exhibition will trace the contribution of those actresses and writers who wrote and performed suffrage plays, along with the Slade-trained artists who designed banners and posters for the vote. Also included will be displays marking 100 years of women in the law and the history of the female-run Endell Street military hospital in World War One. The exhibition will situate the suffrage movement within the earlier campaign for women’s education and later feminist struggles in the borough. It will be accompanied by a series of talks, discussions, workshops and play readings.

All this fits very well with the forthcoming unveiling of an MA plaque to Emmeline, Sylvia and Christabel Pankhurst, who lived at 8 Russell Square prior to the house being demolished to make way for the Hotel Russell.

We also allude to The Minerva Club at 28 Brunswick Square in ‘Tales of Brunswick Square – Bloomsbury’s Untold Past’, which was home to the Women’s Freedom League in 1907-61, a ‘break-away’ group from the Women’s Social and Political Union.

 The curators are seeking funding to help make the exhibition happen and would be very grateful for any donations to assist. These can be made at https://www.youcaring.com/unfinishedhistories-1090383