Person    | Female  Born 3/12/1838  Died 13/8/1912

Octavia Hill

Housing reformer and co-founder of The National Trust. Born at Wisbech, Cambridgeshire, her father's eighth daughter (yes, really). She believed that social housing should be small houses (rather than large blocks of flats) and in towns rather than in the suburbs. Working with John Ruskin she created 15 housing schemes in London to provide accommodation to 3,000 people.

Supporting the idea that Hill should appear on British bank notes, Pam Alexander wrote in a letter to the Guardian, July 2013: "{her} work benefited men, women and children and continues today. Octavia pioneered social housing and encouraged all her tenants to develop their skills in order to live fulfilled lives, however low their income. She cofounded the National Trust and coined the term green belt. Her Kyrle Society, supported by William Morris, was the forerunner of the Civic Trust; her training of housing managers led directly to the Charted Institute of Housing; and she made key contributions to modern social work and occupational therapy. Her focus on " a hand up rather than a handout" was controversial but is still an appropriate debate today."

Caroline's Miscellany has a good post about this "do-gooder". 2012: a memorial stone in Westminster Abbey to be dedicated on 22 October.

This section lists the memorials where the subject on this page is commemorated:
Octavia Hill

Commemorated ati

Morley mosaics - KEW - Octavia Hill

Octavia Hill, born 1838. The founder of modern social work through her tirele...

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Octavia Hill - Finchley

Hill's family were living in Brownswell Cottages in 1851. These were on Finc...

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Octavia Hill Housing Trust

It would be nice to know who did the giving but we can't find out.

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Octavia Hill - moved

The plaque is located on the first floor of the building and is not on view t...

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Octavia Hill - NW1

Octavia Hill, a pioneer in housing reform built these cottages "for the peopl...

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This section lists the memorials created by the subject on this page:
Octavia Hill

Creations i

Red Cross Garden 2

The roundel was created by a glass-making firm, James Powell and Son, after a...

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Other Subjects

Atkins Landscape Architects

Atkins Landscape Architects

Garden and landscape designers.

Group, Gardens / Agriculture

2 memorials
Task Force Trees

Task Force Trees

Countryside Commission's Task Force Tree Programme

Group, Gardens / Agriculture

2 memorials
Henry Edmunds

Henry Edmunds

Owner of the Cholderton Estate. He is the great-grandson of Henry Charles Stephens, who founded the estate in order to develop his multiple interests in arable agriculture, aboriculture, architectu...

Person, Gardens / Agriculture

1 memorial
Red Cross Garden

Red Cross Garden

Part of Octavia Hill's pioneering social housing scheme. It consists of two rows of cottages and a community hall, designed by Elijah Hoole. It was created to provide 'An open air sitting room for ...

Place, Community / Clubs, Gardens / Agriculture

3 memorials