| Summary : Evelyn House was built from Portland Stone in 1909 to the designs of H Percy Adams and Charles Holden. Occupying a corner site, it has four storeys and an attic with four bays to Oxford Street. At first floor level there are semi-circular windows while those above are square headed and in groups of three. The second floor windows have cast iron balconies and the attic windows are grouped in pairs. Giant strip pilasters rise between the bays from the first into third storey.In 1918 this was the headquarters of the National Union of Women's Suffrage Societies (NUWSS). It was also the year in which the first milestone in the struggle for women's suffrage was reached. On 3 February 1918 the Representation of the People Act became law, granting voting rights to around 6-8 million women. The bill did not propose to grant enfranchisement of all women however, so as to ensure that men voters could retain a majority. The right to vote was restricted to women who were over the age of 30 and either held the equivalent of a university degree, rented a property or owned their home or were married to man who did. The NUWSS celebrated this great achievement, however the fact remained that women still had not achieved electoral equality with men. |
More information : No. 62 Oxford Street, London was the headquarters of the National Union of Women's Suffrage Societies (NUWSS) in 1918.
The NUWSS formed in October 1897 following its proposal at a conference of all women's suffrage societies in Birmingham a year earlier. Its formation recognised the need for a structured and centralised approach to their campaign. In the years leading up to 1918, the work of the NUWSS mainly consisted of lobbying parliament to introduce a bill that would enfranchise women, and building support for their cause throughout the country. Campaigning activities were temporarily suspended during the First World War while they focussed on relief work, however they resumed the struggle in 1916.
The passing of the Representation of the People Act in 1918 brought a partial resolution for the campaign for women's suffrage - a struggle which had been fought by women in England since the mid 19th century. It was only a partial victory, however, since the bill only enfranchised women over the age of 30. (1)
An alliance formed between the NUWSS and the Labour Party in 1912 encouraged an increasing number of working-class women to participate in the suffrage campaign during the latter years. (2)
In May 1917, the Representation of the People Bill was introduced to the House of Commons and passed by a large majority. The bill did not propose to grant enfranchisement of all women however, so as to ensure that men voters could retain a majority. The restrictions that would determine a woman's eligibility for enfranchisement related to age and property qualifications. They were required to either rent a property, own their home or be married to man who did, and they also had to be over 30. During the passage of the bill, women who held a qualification that equated to a university degree, had they been men, were also included.
In January 1918 the bill passed through the House of Lords before it was granted royal assent which was only seen to be a formality. On 3 February 1918 the Representation of the People Bill became law, granting voting rights to around 6-8 million women.
The NUWSS celebrated this great achievement, however the fact remained that women still had not achieved electoral equality with men. (3)
Evelyn House, Nos. 54-62 Oxford Street, London, was built from Portland Stone in 1909 to the designs of H Percy Adams and Charles Holden. Occupying a corner site, it has four storeys and an attic with four bays to Oxford Street. There are strip pilasters between the shops to ground floor, except to the corner which was altered in the mid 20th century. There are giant strip pilasters rising between the bays from the first into third storey. At first floor level there are semi-circular windows while those above are square headed and in groups of three. The second floor windows have cast iron balconies. A modillion cornice spans the building above the third floor. The attic windows are grouped in pairs. (4)
In the 1918 edition of Post Office London Directory, Evelyn House is listed as No. 62 Oxford Street and doesn't include Nos. 54-60. (5)
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