At the outbreak of the First World War the Suffragettes not only ceased their military campaign, they actively threw themselves behind the national war effort. One way in which they did this was through their work as nurses, doctors, and surgeons. There is currently a small display in the Camden Local Studies Centre about such … Read more
In 2013 the Supreme Court ruled that soldiers’ right to life did indeed extend to cover them when they were away from British bases in warzones.[1] The ruling came after a number of families claimed that the Ministry of Defence had breached their relatives right to life by failing to provide adequate equipment, which had … Read more
When the teenage Queen Victoria came to the throne in 1837, only about one in five men over 21 had the vote – those who owned a certain amount of property – and, ironically in view of the sex of the monarch, no women at all. That denied the vote to most working people – … Read more
This article describes the life of Brian Barnes, a community artist and local Battersea activist. He has used his art not only as a means of self-expression but to harness the creativity of the community as part of a wider arts movement to bring about social and political change. The article focuses on a specific … Read more
His principles were not kept in the pocket of a Sunday coat (I don’t know that he always had a Sunday change of any sort); but were to him the daily light which led his steps. W. J. Linton, ‘Who were the Chartists?’, The Century, Apr. 1882. Today the news is at our fingertips, we … Read more
Since time immemorial, or since as early as 1189 at least, Bachelor’s Acre, a parcel of land in the centre Windsor, was used by the inhabitants of the town for the practice of archery and other pastimes. This usage was confirmed in 1651 when reference was made to ‘where Butts were usually set up’ (Butts … Read more
“In how many instances does the hard-working father, and more especially the mother, of a poor family remain slave throughout their lives, […] when, if their offspring had been limited to two or three only, they might have enjoyed comfort and comparative affluence? […] How often is the mother’s comfort, health, nay, even her life, … Read more
In the middle of the West Oxfordshire countryside, on the outskirts of the village of Minster Lovell, there are a series of bungalows on regular plots of land. The Ordnance Survey map refers to these dwellings as the Charterville Allotments. The name alludes to a surprising past, a connection to one of the largest … Read more
