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AUBREY HOUSE

ALTERNATIVE NAME:

THE FORMER OFFICE OF THE LNSWS, THE FORMER OFFICE OF THE LONDON NATIONAL SOCIETY FOR WOMENS SUFFRAGE

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Aubrey House is located near Holland Park in London. It is thought to have a core dating to 1698 which was remodelled by Sir Edward Lloyd between 1745 and 1754, though work possibly began as early as 1730. Further alterations were carried out in the late 18th century.

Built from brick, this house is three storeys high with a five window centre and two storey, three window wings and modern additions to the east. The centre has a dentilled brick cornice and parapet, and a dentilled brick pediment over the three window central part which breaks forward slightly. There is a band between the ground and first floors. The doorcase has a dentilled pediment and entablature above Tuscan pilasters. The east wing projects slightly and has a band across the front continuing that of the main block. In the 19th century the west wing was enlarged and altered and a Tuscan loggia was built on the garden front.

The home of Mentia and Peter Taylor from 1860 until 1873, it became a gathering place for those involved in the radical social and political movements of the day. Peter Taylor was MP for Leicester between 1862 and 1884, and Mentia was actively involved in promoting the cause of women's suffrage. In 1863 she became honorary secretary of the Ladies' London Emancipation Society and it was at her home in 1866 that 1499 signatures were collated from a women's suffrage petition. She briefly served as treasurer initially to the London Provincial Petition Committee and then Committee for the Enfranchisement of Women before withdrawing from the latter to establish the London National Society for Women's Suffrage. Their first meeting was held at Aubrey House on 5 July 1867 and her home also became the official address for the Society. In 1871 Mentia withdrew from the executive committee but remained an active member until 1874.

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Aubrey House, located near Holland Park in London, was built circa 1730-1740. Built from brick, it is three storeys high with a five window centre and two storey, three window wings and modern additions to the east. The centre has a dentilled brick cornice and parapet and a dentilled brick pediment over the three window central part which breaks forward slightly. There is a band between the ground and first floors. The doorcase has a dentilled pediment and entablature above Tuscan pilasters. The east wing projects slightly and has a band across the front continuing that of the main block. The west wing has been enlarged and altered in 19th century. The rear elevation facing the garden shows the same three storey centre with the top floor in the parapet and a brick cornice below. The central one-window part projects slightly. The wings on this side are in line with the main block. The windows on the first floor retain their original cased frames. On the garden front to the extreme east beyond the modern additions is a 19th century Tuscan loggia. (1)

Aubrey House was the home of Clementia (known as Mentia) and Peter Taylor from 1860 until 1873. It became a gathering place for those involved in the radical social and political movements of the day. Peter Taylor was MP for Leicester between 1862 and 1884, and Mentia was actively involved in promoting the cause of women's suffrage. In 1863 she became honorary secretary of the Ladies' London Emancipation Society and it was at her home in 1866 that 1499 signatures were collated from a women's suffrage petition. In that same year she was treasurer to the London Provincial Petition Committee for brief period and thereafter became treasurer to the Committee for the Enfranchisement of Women. Believing it to be too conservative in its approach, Mentia withdrew from the Committee for the Enfranchisement of Women and was instrumental in establishing the London National Society for Women's Suffrage (LNSWS), of which she was treasurer. She felt that only a national strategy could be the most effective means for making progress. On 5 July 1867 the first meeting of the LNSWS was held at Aubrey House, which also became the official address for the Society. In 1871 Mentia withdrew from the executive committee but remained an active member until 1874.

With its establishment, the LNSWS joined the Manchester National Society for Women's Suffrage (MNSWS) with the intention of creating a federation of suffrage societies. Unlike the Manchester Society however, the LNSWS never operated from a formal office but instead gathered at the homes of its members and gave its official address as that of the secretary in post at the time.

The LNSWS promoted the cause for women's suffrage through the production and circulation of a range of pamphlets and publications and membership was open to all, including working men and women. The LNSWS split in 1871 with some members leaving to the form the Central Committee of the National Society for Women's Suffrage (CCNSWS). The reasons for the split were due to the objections of some LNSWS members to the MNSWS's intentions of forming a London-based committee of provincial members and also to the involvement of some MNSWS members in working for the repeal of the Contagious Diseases Act. In 1877 the LNSWS and CCNSWS merged, under the name of the latter society. By this time those most in opposition to the ideas of the CCNSWS were no longer active. (2)

According to Pevsner and Cherry, the core of Aubrey House possibly dates to circa 1698 but it was remodelled between 1745 and 1754 by Sir Edward Lloyd. He was responsible for adding the projecting wings to the central block and reconstructing the northern façade. In the late 18th century further alterations included the creation of a drawing room and the addition of external features such as the gauged-arched windows and pediment with urns. (3)

SOURCE TEXT

(1) List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest

Kensington and Chelsea Borough, 29-JUL-1949

(2) Elizabeth Crawford 1999 The Women's Suffrage Movement A Reference Guide 1866-1928

Page(s)673-677

(3) by Bridget Cherry and Nikolaus Pevsner 1991 London, 3 : north west

The Buildings of England Page(s)508-9

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