Octavia Hill (1838-1912) led of the British open space movement. Inspired by Christian socialism, she channeled her belief system into the creation of the UK’s National Trust.
Octavia Hill (1838-1912) led of the British open space movement. Inspired by Christian socialism, she channeled her belief system into the creation of the UK’s National Trust.
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Hello! From Wonder Media Network, I’m Constance Zimmer. And this is Womanica.
This month, we’re highlighting Eco Warriors: women fighting for conservation and ecological justice.
Today, we’re talking about the leader of the British open space movement. Inspired by Christian socialism, she channeled her belief system into the creation of the UK’s National Trust. Please welcome Octavia Hill.
Octavia Hill was born into a family of social reformers. Her grandfather, Dr. Thomas Southwood Smith, dedicated his career to improving the health of working class communities. When Octavia arrived, in 1838, her parents, James Hill and Caroline Southwood Smith, were followers of utopian socialism. They founded one of the first infant schools in England, in their Cambridgeshire village.
Though Octavia never had any formal education, she could read and write from an early age, thanks to her mother’s instruction.
In 1840, an economic depression swept across England. Octavia’s family was not immune. By 1843, her father, James, had declared bankruptcy, fallen into a depression and abandoned the family.
Determined to keep her family afloat, Caroline moved herself and her children to London. She got a job at the Ladies’ Guild a Christian socialist cooperative. Caroline encouraged her daughters to find work as well.
Octavia took on her first job when she was just 14. She ran a workroom at the Ladies Guild. Her employees, so to speak, were children, who made toys and dollhouse furniture. Octavia, still a child herself, began organizing meals for the girls, most of whom had experienced intense poverty. She allowed sick days, and took them on nature walks.
This instinct of Octavia’s, to improve the lives of those she felt were less fortunate, would remain a driving force for the rest of her life.
As a young woman, Octavia was introduced to John Ruskin, a prominent, radical thinker. Inspired by him, the Christian Socialist movement, and anti-capitalism, she began exploring ways to improve the lives of working class people.
John Ruskin came to Octavia’s aid. He bought a series of London residential properties for Octavia to manage – which, she quickly realized, were slums.
Octavia later said: “'The plaster was dropping from the walls. On one staircase a pail was placed to catch the rain that fell through the roof. All the staircases were perfectly dark, the banisters were gone, having been used as firewood by the tenants.”
As the new landlord, Octavia’s management style was definitely… firm. She made it clear she wasn’t running a charity, insisting instead on what she called “perfect strictness” between herself and the tenants.
Rent was to be paid on time. Those who were late were evicted. More substantial repairs on properties were made only on the condition that tenants not cause damage moving forward. But tempering the perfect strictness was also “perfect respectfulness.” She organized an informal bank, helped find jobs for tenants, began sewing classes, and established gardens and playgrounds.
Her methods were incredibly successful. By 1874, Octavia managed over 3,000 properties across London.
She ushered in a wave of housing reform that took root across England, Europe and the United States.
Octavia’s years navigating bleak, treeless housing estates made her believe, fervently, in the power of nature. She turned her attention to cultivating green spaces for all, not just those wealthy enough to own property.
She wrote: “We all want quiet. We all want beauty … we all need space. Unless we have it, we cannot reach that sense of quiet in which whispers of better things come to us gently.”
Octavia began campaigning against development in green areas in London. Through her work, she met Robert Hunter, a lawyer for a preservation society. Together, Octavia and Robert continued to fight development of London’s green spaces. And in 1895, the two, along with Hardwicke Rawnsley, founded the National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty. Their motto? That green spaces “be kept for the enjoyment, refreshment, and rest of those who have no country house.”
For the next 17 years, until her death in 1912, Octavia put her energy into the National Trust. Today, it’s Europe’s largest conservation charity. And in 2020, it celebrated its 125th birthday.
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Special thanks to Liz Kaplan, my favorite sister and co-creator.
As always, we’ll be taking a break for the weekend. Talk to you on Monday!