| Summary : No. 4 Clement's Inn, London, was probably built soon after 1868-91 and demolished in the later 20th century. It served as the first formal office of the Women's Social and Political Union (WSPU) from 1906 and 1912 and was the home of Emmeline and Frederick Pethick-Lawrence. It was from this office in Clement's Inn that the WSPU directed its militant campaign for women's suffrage. It accommodated a growing number of office staff who assisted in coordinating rallies and demonstrations as well as the acts of violence, such as window-smashing, for which they became known. In 1907 the weekly suffrage paper 'Votes for Women' was established here and they also began holding 'At Homes'. These proved so popular that by 1908 WSPU had to move these gatherings to a different location. It was also around this time that the WSPU adopted their trademark colour scheme of white, green and purple. Using these colours in all their propaganda made their campaign more visible than it had ever been before. In 1912 the WSPU announced that it would be moving from their rooms at Clement's Inn. |
More information : The Women's Social and Political Union (WSPU) was founded on 10 October 1903 at a meeting held at 62 Nelson Street, Manchester. This was the home of Emmeline Pankhurst who became the leader of the WSPU.
By 1906 it was deemed necessary to move the WSPU campaign to London. They sought a political solution to women's enfranchisement and, with the seat of government in London, this was where they must be based.
At the end of January 1906, Annie Kenney, a WSPU member, moved to London and it was her home at 45 Park Walk Chelsea that became the address for WSPU correspondence. In October of that year, however, the WSPU decided to open its first formal office at 4 Clement's Inn, London which was also the home of Emmeline and Frederick Pethick-Lawrence. Emmeline was an active member of the WSPU leadership and Frederick supported the union's work, assisting Emmeline in 1907 to establish the weekly suffrage paper 'Votes for Women', which they produced initially from the Clement's Inn address.
In October 1906 the WSPU adopted a formal constitution at a meeting held at the office in Clement's Inn. Clauses which stipulated the establishment of a national executive council were never adopted however, and in 1907 the WSPU leadership scrapped the constitution. Unsettled by this and Emmeline Pankhurst's attempts to have all members sign a pledge to agree not to support parliamentary candidates of any party, a number of women left the WSPU in 1907 to set up the Women's Freedom League.
On Monday afternoons during 1907, the WSPU held 'At Homes' at Clement's Inn. They were so popular that they also began holding them on Thursday evenings however so many began to attend that such meetings shifted to the Portman Rooms in February 1908.
In early 1908, extra office space was taken at Clement's Inn and the WSPU staff increased by 4. By this time they also employed 14 organisers whom they sent out around the country. They continued to grow and by the end of February 1909, the office accommodated a staff of 45. The WSPU also employed 30 organisers and had opened 11 regional offices in eight provincial districts. The WSPU was quite unlike the National Union of Women's Suffrage Societies (NUWSS) in that they didn't function through a committee structure at national or local level. WSPU policy was instead set by the WSPU leadership at Clement's Inn which filtered down to the local level via its paid organisers.
By the time of the 1910 election campaign, during which the WSPU agreed to suspend military activities, the union employed a staff of 110. They occupied a total of 23 rooms at 4 Clement's Inn and also 156 Charing Cross Road, which housed the WSPU shop and Woman's Press.
In 1912 the WSPU announced that the office would be moving from Clement's Inn as it had been repossessed by the landlord and the Pethick-Lawrences had left for Canada. (1)
Between 1906 and 1908 the Women's Social and Political Union (WSPU) organised large scale rallies and demonstrations as well as 'women's parliaments' which coincided with each new session. Suffragettes also began throwing stones and breaking the windows of government offices. Many were arrested and in 1908 suffragette prisoners began to hunger strike in protest at being detained in the second division of prisons. The hunger strikes often secured early release for some prisoners, however in 1909 the government authorised prisons to begin force feeding strikers.
In 1910 the WSPU declared a truce from militancy while a private-member Conciliation Bill went before the House of Commons. It passed its second reading however after going no further, the WSPU staged a protest outside parliament. This day, 18 November 1910, later became known as Black Friday due to the brutality inflicted upon the suffragettes by the police and members of the crowd.
Increasing frustrated by the government, the WSPU broke the windows of the War Office and the Daily Mail and carried out their first large-scale window-smashing raid in London's West End in 1912. (2)
According to Pevsner and Bradley, the buildings of the former Inn of Chancery in Clement's Inn were demolished in 1868-91 and residential and commercial chambers built in their place. These were replaced in turn in the later 20th century. (3)
Judging by the information provided by Pevsner and Bradley (source 3), No. 4 Clement's Inn was probably built sometime after 1868-91 and demolished in the later 20th century.
Since No. 4 probably no longer exists, the evidence available doesn't provide an exact National Grid Reference (NGR). The NGR provided for this building therefore (TQ3090081086), is only approximate until further evidence can indicate its exact location. (4)
For the WSPU, the years between 1908 and 1912 were characterised by the increasingly visual nature of their campaign. In 1908 their trademark colours of white, green and purple were adopted and used in all WSPU propaganda. They featured in banners carried in processions, the 'uniforms' women wore to such events as well as the vast array of 'official' WSPU merchandise sold through the union's shops and their newspaper 'Votes for Women'. It was devised by Emmeline Pethick-Lawrence with the intention of promoting a more positive image of suffragettes and symbolised dignity, purity and hope. (5)
This is a photograph of the duplicating office inside the WSPU headquarters at 4 Clements Inn. It is in the collection at the Museum of London and is ID no. MoL_50.82/928e. To see the image, click on the link in the list of sources. (6)
This is a photograph of women working inside the WSPU headquarters at 4 Clements Inn. It is in the collection at the Museum of London and is ID no. MoL_50.82/928b. To see the image, click on the link in the list of sources. (7)
This is an image of the WSPU constitution. This copy of the constitution is in the collection at the Museum of London and is ID no. MoL_NN23875. To see the image, click on the link in the list of sources. (8)
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