Battling Belles of Bow

This walking tour “The Battling Belles of Bow” is organised by SERTUC who ask colleagues to: “follow in the footsteps of Sylvia Pankhurst who chose east London as the starting point for her campaign for women's suffrage and seeing the plight of the working women and mothers also established a crèche, restaurant and model toy factory in the area. East End women were key to the success of the Suffragette movement and the route highlights their supporters and their workplaces including the Bryant & May Match Factory, site of the famous Match girls' strike of 1888”

I’ve worked as an Estate Officer in Bow, East London - for nearly 20 years. Firstly at a local housing office in Malmesbury Road where I once managed George Lansbury House and was also responsible for a time for the maintenance of Minnie Lansbury clock in nearby Electric House. Our estate also had properties in Fairfield Road where the privately run “gated community” called “Bow Quarter” is on the site of the original Bryant & May Factory.

Then I worked 300m away in another estate office in Armagh Road which was only around the corner from 1915 Sylvia Pankhurst clinic at “Gun Makers Arms “and the Suffragette meeting point now called the “Lord Morpeth “pub. I am now based right in the centre of Bow near the famous Roman Road Market.

This walk seems well worth a fiver!

The Belles of Bow

I came across an advert for this historical walking tour organised by the Museum of London. I assume the walk will go past the “Lord Morpeth” Public House in Old Ford Road which is built on the site of what was a Toy factory set up by Sylvia Pankhurst (picture is from the old pub sign). This pub is a poplar venue for “leaving do’s” by local workers which I have frequented once or thrice (or more). I work from a office only about a 10 minutes walk away.

Nearby was the site of ex-public house called the “Gunmakers Arms” which Sylvia used as a crèche and soup kitchen for the local poor. She renamed it the “Mothers Arms”.

Check out this site for extracts of Sylvia’s journal.

Check out this link to the last time(s) I posted on Bow Belles.

Sun 8 Mar, 2.30-4.30pmThis walking tour with Blue Badge Guide Rachel Kolsky follows in the footsteps of Sylvia Pankhurst, who chose east London as the starting point for her campaign for women's suffrage. Pankhurst established a creche, restaurant and model toy factory in the area, believing that East End women were key to the success of the Suffragette movement. The route highlights Suffragette supporters and workplaces including the famous Bryant & May match factory, site of the Match Girls' strike of 1888.Book in advance £8, 18+