“We are driven into a shed, iron-barred from end to end, outside of which a foreman or contractor walks up and down with the air of a dealer in a cattle market, picking and choosing from a crowd of men, who, in their eagerness to obtain employment, trample each other underfoot, and where like beasts … Read more
Harry William Hobart (1854-1941) was a lifelong social democrat. Heavily involved with trade unions, he took part in many of the attempts that took place at the end of the nineteenth century to gain better rights and protections for workers. Hobart was born in Walworth, south east London. His interest in radical politics seems to … Read more
‘Dr David Widgery (1947 – 1992) practiced locally as a GP. As a Socialist and a writer, his life and work were an inspiration in the fight against injustice.’ – Memorial plaque – St Anne’s church, Limehouse, London. David Widgery’s activism spanned a period that included the revolutionary changes of the 1960s, through to the … Read more
George Orwell, or Eric Arthur Blair, (1903-1950) was one of the UK’s most prolific and influential political writers, perhaps best known for his dystopian novel 1984 (1949), which topped the best-seller list again on the election of President Donald Trump. However, Orwell’s activism wasn’t limited to the pen and typewriter. This armchair warrior fought in … 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
