Founder of Henrietta Barnett School for Girls and Hampstead Garden Suburb. The picture shows Henrietta with her husband Samuel Barnett.
Born Henrietta Octavia Rowland. With her vicar husband she came to believe in "environmental determinism" - that the poor are brutalised by their squalid environment and so began a lifetime of philanthropic social work in the East End where they built Toynbee Hall (still fulfilling its original function in 2007) and promoted respectable work in household service as an alternative to prostitution. Her campaign to close the brothels was criticised for making the girls more vulnerable to attack by Jack the Ripper (at this point it is definitely worth following the link to her husband, Samuel). With her bulldozing personality she was nicknamed "the Vicaress". While living and working in some of the worst slums in Europe in the East End they bought St Jude's Cottage at Spaniard's Inn on Hampstead Heath as a week-end retreat. Seeing that the extension of the Northern Line out to Golders Green was about to provoke a flurry of unplanned development she formed a philanthropic trust, bought the land and oversaw the development of Hampstead Garden Suburb.
Made a Dame in 1924. Died at her home in South Square. Buried St. Helen's Churchyard near Hove, beside her husband.
This section lists the memorials where the subject on this page is commemorated:
Dame Henrietta Barnett, D.B.E.
Commemorated ati
First house tree
October 2nd 1907. This tree was planted by Mrs Barnett on the occasion of th...
Henrietta Barnett plaque
Prior to the death of her husband in 1913, Dame Henrietta Barnett had been li...
Henrietta & Samuel Barnett
While they lived there they called this "St Jude's Cottage". Initially it wa...
St Mary Matfelon
Our picture comes from Google satellite view and shows, better than can be se...
Other Subjects
Gatehouse Square, Southwark
Social housing and nearby workshops designed by the Greater London Council for Southwark Council and funded by the Sea Containers Group.
Mr W. J. Lobjoit
Trustee of the Putney Pest House Charity, 1862.
Irish immigrants
From the Irish Times: "In the grim 1950s, 40,000 people left Ireland every year to emigrate to Britain. They built the roads and repaired the bombed out buildings of post-war Britain. They staffed ...
Bethnal Green and East London Housing Association / Gateway
From British History on-line: "The Bethnal Green and East London Housing Association was formed in 1926 by an Industrial Housing Fellowship Group. It was supported by the Poplar Ruridecanal {sic} C...
James Fegan
Philanthropist. Born James William Condell Fegan in Southampton. He moved to London in 1865 and eventually joined a firm of colonial brokers. He soon became aware of the plight of many young boys l...
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