What was a woman’s place in early 20th century Britain? Was it Caxton Hall, the site of Women's Parliament from 1907? Or Trafalgar Square, where Sylvia Pankhurst led a Suffragette demonstration on 27th July 1913? Or was it, perhaps, St Mary's Undercroft Chapel, in a small cupboard where Emily Davison hid on night of 1911 census so that she would be registered as a resident of the Houses of Parliament?
The truth is, we can’t tell you what a woman’s place in 20th century Britain was, because it was no longer static. This was a century of radical, incredible social upheaval, and a woman was no longer constrained to her domestic sphere or her societal position. No, this was a century of movement: the movement of women, movements for women.
And it started with the Women’s Suffrage campaign: a historical effort by women to claim their mobility: in the streets, in the headlines, in Parliament.
We’ve designed this one-of-a-kind map of London as the Suffragettes knew it – and as the Suffragettes transformed it. Carefully curated in the Suffragette colours of purple, green, and white, this vintage style map based on London's geography circa 1910 shows you the making of feminist history through 25 significant sites, each embellished with a tiny WSPU rosette pin. (It’s the little details, right?)
We know navigating the world today is a mammoth task, so let this richly historical map inspire you to find your way around (and all while making your wall look super chic!)
This geographically accurate map includes pins for the following locations:
1. Emmeline & Christabel Pankhurst's home (50 Clarendon Walk)
2. Emmeline Pankhurst's grave (Brompton Cemetery)
3. Suffragette mass meetings, 1908-1913 (Royal Albert Hall)
4. Sylvia Pankhurst's home (120 Cheyne Walk)
5. Hertha Marks Ayrton's home (41 Norfolk Square)
6. Suffrage 'Mud March' by NUWSS, 9th February 1907
7. 'Women's Sunday' rally, 21st June 1908
8. Elizabeth Garrett Anderson's home (20 Upper Berkeley Street)
9. Suffragette petition handed to King George V, 22nd May 1914 (Buckingham Palace)
10. Window smashing by Matilde Wolff van Sandau & Katie Mills, 4th March 1912 (Howick Place Post Office)
11. Site of Women's Parliament from 1907 (Caxton Hall)
12. Suffragette Memorial by Edwin Russell (Christchurch Gardens)
13. NUWSS HQ 1903-1910 (25 Victoria Street)
14. Millicent Fawcett's home (2 Gower Street)
15. Mary Richardson attack on Rokeby Venus painting, 10th March 1914 (National Gallery)
16. Suffragette Demonstration led by Sylvia Pankhurst, 27th July 1913 (Trafalgar Square)
17. Bomb in Edward the Confessor's Chapel, 11th June 1914 (Westminster Abbey)
18. Millicent Fawcett statue (Parliament Square)
19. Black Friday protest, 18 November 1910 (Houses of Parliament)
20. Cupboard where Emily Davison hid on night of 1911 census (St Mary's Undercroft Chapel)
21. Emmeline & Christabel Pankhurst Memorial (Victoria Tower Gardens)
22. Emily Davison Memorial Service, 14th June 1913 (St George's Church)
23. Women's Freedom League HQ from 1907 (Bury Place / Barter Street)
24. WSPU Headquarters 1906-1912 (4 Clement's Inn)
25. WSPU Headquarters from 1912 (Lincoln's Inn House)
