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 and instrumental in the creation of Vauxhall Park; 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.

Comments are provided by Facebook, please ensure you are signed in here to see them

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...

Read More

Octavia Hill - Finchley

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

Read More

Octavia Hill Housing Trust

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

Read More

Octavia Hill - moved

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

Read More

Octavia Hill - NW1

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

Read More

Show all 8

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...

Read More

Other Subjects

John Evelyn

John Evelyn

17th century diarist and garden designer. Born Wotton, Surrey. Through his 1647 marriage he came into possession of the Sayes Court estate in Deptford, on the Thames. As far as we can tell the poss...

Person, Gardens / Agriculture, Literature

4 memorials
Bankside Open Spaces Trust

Bankside Open Spaces Trust

Works with local people to develop parks and gardens so they can relax, kick a ball, grow plants or just hang out.

Group, Gardens / Agriculture, Philanthropy

1 memorial
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
Bishop Henry Compton

Bishop Henry Compton

Bishop of London from 1675 to 1713. Born Warwickshire. After a period in Charles II's army he chose the church and within 5 years was made a bishop and a member of the Privy Council. His strong op...

Person, Gardens / Agriculture, Religion

1 memorial

Previously viewed

World War 1

World War 1

We'd always assumed that this war was known as the Great War until WW2 came along at which point it was renamed as World War One or the First World War. But the term was first used in print in 1920...

Event, Armed Forces, Tragedy

403 memorials
Police Sergeant Noel Lane

Police Sergeant Noel Lane

Andrew Behan has researched this man: Police Sergeant Noel Joseph Lane was born on 7 November 1955, the son of Ernest George Lane and Mary Teresa Lane née Christmas. His birth was registered in the...

Person, Armed Forces, Tragedy

1 memorial
Enfield Market

Enfield Market

From Wikipedia: "In 1303, Edward I granted a charter to Humphrey de Bohun, and his wife to hold a weekly market in Enfield each Monday, and James I granted another in 1617, to a charitable trust, f...

Place, Commerce

1 memorial