Event    From 2/7/1888  To 16/7/1888

Matchgirls' strike

A strike of the women and teenage girls working at the Bryant and May Factory. Annie Besant had published an article about the poor working conditions at the factory, 'White Slavery in London'. This angered the management who tried to get the workers to formally refute the article. When they refused the management sacked one of them and the strike was on. They held meetings at Christ Church Hall and were supported by Eleanor Marx, Annie Besant and members of the Fabian Society including Shaw and Sidney Webb.

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This section lists the memorials where the subject on this page is commemorated:
Matchgirls' strike

Commemorated ati

Annie Besant - E3

This plaque was lost sometime July 2021 - August 2022. 

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Bowler plaque - Match Girls

The plaque punningly represents "match girls" - very nice. Hanbury Hall is wh...

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Fairfield Works

Fairfield Works Fairfield Road. The scene of the match girls strike of 1888. ...

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Hanbury Hall - blue oval plaque

This plaque has a shortened version of the text on the old white plaque.

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Hanbury Hall - white plaque - removed

Christ Church Hall Built in 1719 as a French Hugeonot {sic} church it stood b...

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Other Subjects

Noël Barclay

Noël Barclay

Central President of the Mothers' Union in 1925. We found reference to a publication probably authored by her: Barclay, E. Noel, Marriage and Divorce (1936).

Person, Gender Issues, Politics & Administration

1 memorial
Emily Wilding Davison

Emily Wilding Davison

Militant suffragette. Born Roxburgh House, Vanbrugh Park Road, Greenwich (see Running Past for info about the house). Brought up in Hertfordshire until aged 11 when the family returned to London. H...

Person, Gender Issues, Politics & Administration, Tragedy

4 memorials
Suffragettes' Women's Hall

Suffragettes' Women's Hall

This 1893 map (extract here) shows a hall, Salisbury Hall, beside the pub (Morpeth Arms) set back behind a house on Old Ford Road.  This 1870 map shows the hall labelled 'Bethal Chapel (Baptist)'. ...

Building, Gender Issues, Politics & Administration, Religion

1 memorial
Lesbians and Gays Support the Miners

Lesbians and Gays Support the Miners

Formed in 1984 by Mark Ashton and his friend Mike Jackson, this group was only wound down in 2015. The London group used the bookshop Gay's the Word as their HQ. The largest fund-raising event was ...

Group, Gender Issues, Politics & Administration

1 memorial
Lillian Lenton

Lillian Lenton

Suffrage campaigner and hunger striker.

Person, Gender Issues

1 memorial

Previously viewed

English Heritage

English Heritage

English Heritage (officially the English Heritage Trust) is a charity that manages over 400 historic monuments, buildings and places. These include prehistoric sites, medieval castles, Roman forts,...

Group, Architecture, History, Property

415 memorials
Wood Street Walls

Wood Street Walls

Group which produces street artwork in various formats.

Group, Art, Craft / Design

1 memorial
Little Angel Theatre

Little Angel Theatre

Puppet theatre. Founded by John Wright. It is a 100 seat theatre in a former temperance hall, and caters for children, families and adults. In 2007 the resident company participated with the Royal ...

Group, Theatre

2 memorials
American International Church

American International Church

During WW2 Americans in London worshipped at the Grosvenor Chapel. The congregation was relaunched in 1969 as the American Church and after using various church buildings it moved to the Whitefield...

Group, Religion, USA

1 memorial
Comic Heritage

Comic Heritage

Merged with the Heritage Foundation.

Group, Cinema, History, Humour, Theatre, TV & Radio

29 memorials