H&F women past and present

Along with Frances Bedingfield, Queen Catherine founded the convent and school for “English Ladies” in Hammersmith Road - now the Sacred Heart School.

Mary Wollstonecraft was a pioneering feminist writer. She wrote a landmark book The Vindication of the Rights of Women.

She also argued for gender equality and for women to be educated equally to men.

Caroline Chisholm went to Madras in 1830 where she opened a school for soldiers' daughters

Later in 1841, she opened a home for female immigrants in Sidney, Australia. Her portrait was on the Australian $5 note and 5 cent stamps from 1967 to 1968.

She settled in Fulham, 19 Barclay Road in 1870.

An Indian princess, Sophia Duleep Singh was an important figure in the suffragette movement in the UK – securing the right to vote for women – and whose godmother was Queen Victoria.

She worked closely with the Suffragette Pankhurst family.

Photographer and postcard publisher. She lived at 38 Burnfoot Avenue and had a shop at 92 Munster Road.

She was Britain’s first female press photographer and photographed the suffragettes.

Lolita Roy was an Indian social reformer and suffragist who fought for women’s rights in Britain and India.

During World War One she set up a fund for Indian soldiers and raised a lot of money through auctions and clothing sales.

After the war she continued speaking out for women’s rights across the British Empire.

Baroness Summerskill was a Labour MP for Fulham. She was also Minister of National Insurance, 1950-1 and chairperson of the Labour Party from 1950 to 1954.

She published a number of books including Babies without Tears, The Ignoble Art, Letters to my Daughter, and A Woman’s World.

Baroness Phillips Norah Mary was a long-life feminist, life peer. She was Lord Lieutenant for Greater London from 1978 to 1985.

She was also the first woman to become a government chief whip in the House of Lords in 1965.

Janet Olufunmilayo Adegoke was the the fi first Black woman to become the Mayor of a London borough. She was elected Mayor of Hammersmith and Fulham in 1987.

Dame Sheila Cameron Hancock is an English actress, singer, and author. She has also presented several documentaries.

In 2010, she presented Suffragette City telling the story of the suffragette movement through objects from the Museum of London's collection.

In the 2021 New Year's Honours List, Shelia was appointed Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) for services to drama and to charity.

Peggy started Hammersmith & Fulham’s Dementia Action Alliance (DAA) in September 2019.

Their aim is to improve services and support for people with dementia and their families in all the diverse communities of the borough.

Jazz Browne has spent over 70% of her lifetime in H&F Fulham. From growing up as a child in White City to her career spanning over 20 years in the borough.

As CEO of Nubian Life, Jazz and her team played an instrumental role in providing culturally specific services throughout the pandemic alongside supporting the wider community.

Rosie Peters is the co-head at Wendell Park primary school and is passionate about making a difference in the lives of children, especially those from disadvantaged backgrounds.

At Wendell Park, they strive to ensure that diversity and inclusion are at the forefront of all that they do. This has meant reviewing their curriculum, in particular history, and they have even created their own antiracist charter.

This has led Rosie to playing an instrumental role in delivering the Power of Representation Programme in schools across the borough.

Dr Hayaatun Sillem is CEO of the Royal Academy of Engineering and Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering Foundation.

She co-chaired the commission on improving Black representation in motorsport. She was named as one of the inspiring 50 women in tech in Europe and one of the most influential in both UK engineering and UK tech.

Cllr Patricia Quigley is the Lead Member for Inclusive Community Engagement and Co-production. She has represented the ward where she grew up and still lives since 2018.

Patricia co-wrote “Nothing about Disabled People without Disabled People” report with 9 other Disabled residents as part of the H&F Disabled Peoples Commission.