The Soaring Suffragist
When "Votes for Women" really took off.
“The most important event in the whole of their propaganda,” said one newspaper. “One of the most enterprising moves for which they have yet been responsible,” said another. In 1909, one London suffragist took to the air in an audacious stunt that deserves to be better known. That’s the topic for today’s newsletter for paying subscribers (with a generous teaser for everyone else). But first the History Radar:
History Radar
Upcoming events of interest to London history fans.
🏟️ ROMAN LONDON: On 31 July, take the kids along on a family-friendly guided walk, tracing the remains of Roman London. The newly rebranded London Museum tour explores the remains of the Roman city wall, the location of a long lost fort and Londinium’s hidden amphitheatre, all in the City of London.
👻 ORWELL'S GHOSTS: 75 years after 1984 was first published, Laura Beers is at Waterstones Islington to talk about her new book, Orwell's Ghosts. Hear what the term 'Orwellian' really means, and what George Orwell himself would likely have to say about certain issues in today's society. This is also on 31 July.
🔫 KRAY TWINS: And again on 31 July, TV presenter Fred Dinenage -- known both as a news anchor, and for presenting children's programme How -- is at the Half Moon in Putney to talk about his experiences working with Ronnie and Reggie Kray. The notorious criminal twins chose Dinenage as their official biographer, giving him unparalleled access. The show features untold stories and rare archive photos, audio and video.
🚶🏾♀️INSIDE OUT FESTIVAL: Throughout August, Inside Out is a celebration of culture and the arts in the City of Westminster, featuring plenty of family-friendly events and history-riffing activities. In particular, free walking tours by Westminster Guides should be of interest.
⛪️ WILLIAM MORRIS WALK: Join the William Morris Society on 3 August for a guided walk from Hammersmith to All Saints’ Church Putney, led by William Morris Historian Peter Walker. It ends with a tour of the Morris & Co. stained glass at All Saints -- the most extensive glazing scheme by the company in any London church.
🧵 SEWING MACHINE MUSEUM: Also on 3 August, London's little-known Sewing Machine Museum opens its doors, allowing the public inside to view one man's personal collection of hundreds of the machines -- including one which once belonged to Queen Victoria's daughter.
🚌 BLACK HISTORY BUS TOUR: And again on 3 August, board a bus in Brixton, and take a three-hour tour around London looking at some of the city's best-known sights and tourist attractions from an African/Caribbean perspective.
The Soaring Suffragist
I often get asked where I find inspiration for these newsletters. The best answer is “I just keep my eyes open”. Such was the case with today’s story.
I found myself in Brent Cross West railway station, London’s newest halt. The station opened on the Thameslink line at the end of 2023, to serve the swathe of new housing going up in something they’re calling Brent Cross Town1.
Thameslink stations are not known for their attractiveness or cultural worth, but here we find artworks and site-specific baubles at every turn. The contrast is particularly stark if you take a two-station jaunt from the dismal Mill Hill Broadway to the gaudy Brent Cross West. It’s the rail equivalent of Dorothy’s Technicolor entrance to Oz.
And the station has its very own flying heroine, as I discovered from this eye-catching plaque:
Muriel Matters. It’s one of those names you just have to say out loud. Her one-sentence biography, appended to the station wall, is well-chosen. It lures you in; intrigues; invites you to do a bit of googling. So that’s what I did.
Muriel Matters, I discover, was an Australian-born suffragist, who first came to public attention in 1909 when she chained herself to the grille of the Ladies’ Gallery of the House of Commons. Matters used the opportunity to shout down into the chamber a demand for wider enfranchisement. She may well be the first woman ever to address the House of Commons, albeit from a protester’s perch.
The event was widely reported. It convinced Matters that headline-grabbing stunts were a useful tool in the campaign for women’s voting rights. The following year, she came up with her most audacious plan yet. She would fly over the capital, where no policeman could reach her, and unleash a cloudburst of enfranchisement.
It all hinged around a yellow, rugby-ball-shaped hydrogen balloon, whose sides were emblazoned with the messages “Votes for Women” and “Women’s Freedom League”. Beneath hung a passenger basket on a delicate iron gantry, which held the propellors and rudder. The dirigible, known as “The Idea” was piloted by the seasoned aviator Herbert Spencer. Together, Matters and Spencer would float over London to ensure that the suffragist cause was the talk of the town.
But there was more. Stowed onboard was 25kg (56 pounds) of suffrage pamphlets. Matters intended to scatter them over London while making a speech from a megaphone. Specifically, her target was the procession of King Edward VII who, on 16 February 1909, would be making his way to the Palace of Westminster for the State Opening of Parliament.
