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Chequer Alley (now Chequer Street) runs between Bunhill Row and Whitecross Street in Islington, near City Road. In the 1840s it was a socially deprived area, home to around 15,000 people living in poverty. In 1841 a Methodist, Miss Macarthy, from the nearby City Road Church began to visit the Alley and hand out Methodist tracts. Interest in her work increased to the point where she was able to begin Sunday preaching in a small hired room. These services eventually expanded to include a Sunday School, Day School, and classes for adults wishing to join the church.

Weymouth Terrace British School, Hackney Road, was in the First London Methodist Circuit circa 1864. British Schools were run using the "Lancasterian Monitorial System of Education", which was developed by Quaker John Lancaster in 1798. The system allowed huge numbers of pupils to be educated under one school-master by using able pupils as monitors assisting the others and was intended to provide a basic education for poor children. The "Society for Promoting the Lancasterian System for the Education of the Poor" was founded in 1808 and had the support of many non-conformists. The Society changed its name to the "British and Foreign Schools Society" in 1814 and founded many 'British Schools' which were often attached to non-conformist churches.

A Methodist circuit is normally a group of churches in a local area served by a team of ministers. A minister will have pastoral charge of one or more churches, but will preach and lead worship in different local churches in the circuit, along with local preachers. The arrangements for leading worship in a circuit are drawn up in a quarterly Plan.

The Methodist Church in Britain is arranged into over 600 Circuits, which in turn are grouped into 32 Districts covering Great Britain, the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands. Each District is supervised by a District Synod.

The Queen Victoria Seamen's Rest (QVSR) started life as the Wesleyan Seamen's Mission of the Methodist Church in 1843. The aim was to minister to the spiritual needs and promote the social and morale welfare of seafarers and their families in the vicinity of the Port of London.

Over time a need arose for a meeting place of some kind in the new sailor town that had sprung up at Poplar. Right opposite the 'seamen's entrance' of the local Board of Trade Office on the East India Dock Road in Jeremiah Street stood a small public house called The Magnet. In 1887, the license of The Magnet was withdrawn, providing the Mission an opportunity to rent the public house and it was transformed into a Seamen's Rest.

Gradually the sphere of the Mission 's operation extended from London Bridge to Tilbury and embraced the river, docks and wharfs, as well as the on-shore haunts of sailors and hospitals, so that by the end of the century it was evident that the old 'Magnet' premises were inadequate. The freehold of No 1 Jeremiah Street and its adjoining properties was purchased in 1899; the whole site was cleared and a new Seamen's Home and Institute built. The foundation stone was laid on the 17th December 1901 by the Lord Mayor of London, and King Edward VII gave his royal consent for the new Seamen's Rest to bear his mother's name, "Queen Victoria ".

The Seamen's Hospital Society 'Dreadnought' rented a portion of the building to use as a sailor's dispensary clinic providing free medical treatment on the premises. In addition free banking was available and a lawyer held an advice surgery once a week. The Association with Seamen's Homes Beyond the Seas had been inaugurated and men from the Mission were introduced to similar institutions in foreign ports. As the work of the mission prospered a resolution was made to extend the building by another storey to increase the number of beds from 25 to 60.

In order to function effectively, QVSR needed a separate hall for public worship and meetings. The Emery Hall was opened on December 5th 1907 by the Patron, HRH Princess Louise. In the First World War, 20,000 unarmed Merchant Seamen lost their lives and the Mission began an appeal to raise funds for a War Memorial Wing with room for another 100 beds. On 20th October 1932 , Prince George (later Duke of Kent) performed the opening ceremony. The extension comprised three stories of private cubicles, 66 in all, a lounge and the New Agar Hall. Each cubicle was plainly furnished with an iron bedstead, dressing table, wooden chair, rug and electric light.

On June 21st 1944 a V1 Flying-bomb fell in Jeremiah Street and the whole of the staff quarters were destroyed. Mercifully, there was no loss of life. Disaster struck again on August 3rd when another bomb displaced the temporary repairs and added further damage, but restoration was done by the seamen lodgers and it was a source of pride that the Rest never closed.

With the war over, plans for the centenary extension of another 60 bedrooms and other sundry communal rooms resumed. The new development was in two parts, one each end of the building. The North Block included an officers' lounge and billiard room together with a chapel, library and 35 bedrooms for officers. The South Block provided not only a common room and rest rooms, two cafes and new bedrooms for ratings, but also a spacious entrance hall with an imposing entrance onto the main road. This necessitated a change of postal address from Jeremiah Street to 121-131 East India Dock Road.

Over the next thirty years, the "Queen Vic" had to adjust itself in line with the re-development of the East End Dockland area and the modernisation of the shipping industry. In order to maintain financial efficiency, space was made to allow a number of retired seamen a more permanent home at QVSR whilst also providing a home for men who had nowhere else to turn. In recent times there has been an increased use of the London River, from Barking Creek to Silvertown, which has re-kindled the need to provide a service that supports the welfare of active seafarers using the Port of London .

Source: http://www.qvsr.org.uk/history.htm.

Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) was founded in February 1852. It was the first specialist children's hospital, and it has grown to an internationally famous centre of excellence in child healthcare. Much has changed in medicine over that time but GOSH is committed to delivering the best and most up to date treatment now and in the future.

The hospital treats 100,000 patients a year; both at its central London site and through clinics scattered across the country. It offers the largest range of children's medical specialists under one roof, so children with some of the rarest and most complex problems can be treated. In addition to its medical care, GOSH researches childhood illness, and plays a major role in training children's doctors and nurses.

At the time GOSH was founded, children's life expectancy was pitifully low. There was widespread poverty, malnutrition and disease. Medicine was also extremely primitive, with no antibiotics, no antiseptics and no real understanding of infection. But modern medicine was beginning to emerge, with mass vaccination and the start of the public health movement, and anaesthetics began to make surgery more practical.

Founder Dr Charles West had a vision, that children were not just little copies of adults, they needed their own sort of doctors and nurses. His book "How to nurse sick children" predates Florence Nightingale's nursing manual. The hospital's motto is "The Child first and always" and GOSH has always strived to put the patient at the centre of its care. Children's hospitals are now very different from Victorian days - bright, open and cheerful, with unlimited visiting by families.

Since 1948, GOSH has been part of the NHS and proud to offer children its specialist care for free. It is part of a network of specialist children's services across the country. The pace of medical development has speeded up, even fifty years ago antibiotics and heart surgery were radical new treatments - now we correct congenital heart abnormalities within days of birth, and plan gene therapy to correct inborn diseases.

Home Office Deptford Borough Council

On July 28 1944 at 9.41am Lewisham street market was hit by a V1 flying bomb that demolished 20 shops, damaged 30 more, killed 51 people and injured 313.

On the morning of Saturday 25 November 1944 at 12.25 pm a V2 rocket landed on Woolworth's store in New Cross Road at Deptford. At the time of impact the store was crowded with schoolchildren and housewives, and the casualties were therefore very high: 160 killed, 77 seriously and 122 slightly injured. In all, Deptford was to suffer nine V2s, far less than other localities, but five of these caused "major incidents" resulting in a death toll of 297 with a further 328 seriously injured; more than other London borough.

Source: Imperial War Museum (http://london.iwm.org.uk/upload/package/4/dday/pdfs/VWeaponsCampaign.pdf)

Wandsworth Common Conservators

The Wandsworth Common Conservators were incorporated by the Wandsworth Common Act, 1871 (34 and 35 Vic).

They were responsible for the management of the Common until 1887 when, by the Metropolitan Board of Works (Various Powers) Act (50 and 51 Vic.cap.CVI), "all the rights property powers functions," and so on of the Conservators were transferred to the MBW.

Poor relief was based on the Act for the Relief of the Poor of 1601 which obliged parishes to take care of the aged and needy in their area. Parish overseers were empowered to collect a local income tax known as the poor-rate which would be put towards the relief of the poor. This evolved into the rating system, where the amount of poor-rate charged was based on the value of a person's property. Early workhouses were constructed and managed by the parish. However, this process was expensive and various schemes were devised where groups of parishes could act together and pool their resources. As early as 1647 towns were setting up 'Corporations' of parishes. An Act of 1782, promoted by Thomas Gilbert, allowed adjacent parishes to combine into Unions and provide workhouses. These were known as 'Gilbert's Unions' and were managed by a board of Guardians.

Under the Poor Law Amendment Act of 1834, the Poor Law Commission was given the power to unite parishes in England and Wales into Poor Law Unions. Each Union was to be administered by a local Board of Guardians. Relief was to be provided through the provision of a workhouse. An amendment to the 1834 Act allowed already existing 'Gilbert's Unions' or Corporations of parishes to remain in existence, although they were encouraged to convert themselves into Poor Law Unions. Although there was some reorganisation of union boundaries, particularly in London, the majority of Unions created under the 1834 Act remained in operation until 1930. In March 1930 a new Local Government Bill abolished the Poor Law Unions and the Board of Guardians. Responsibility for their institutions passed to Public Assistance Committees managed by the county councils - in the metropolis either the London County Council or the Middlesex County Council.

1837-1845: Between 1837 and 1845 Paddington was part of the Kensington Poor Law Union. It separated in 1845 to form the Paddington Poor Law Parish. In 1901 a portion of the detached part of Chelsea known as Queen's Park transferred to Paddington Parish. In 1845 work began on a new workhouse for Paddington, situated on Harrow Road beside the Grand Union Canal.

Source of information: Peter Higginbotham at The Workhouse website.

Poor relief was based on the Act for the Relief of the Poor of 1601 which obliged parishes to take care of the aged and needy in their area. Parish overseers were empowered to collect a local income tax known as the poor-rate which would be put towards the relief of the poor. This evolved into the rating system, where the amount of poor-rate charged was based on the value of a person's property. Early workhouses were constructed and managed by the parish. However, this process was expensive and various schemes were devised where groups of parishes could act together and pool their resources. As early as 1647 towns were setting up 'Corporations' of parishes. An Act of 1782, promoted by Thomas Gilbert, allowed adjacent parishes to combine into Unions and provide workhouses. These were known as 'Gilbert's Unions' and were managed by a board of Guardians.

Under the Poor Law Amendment Act of 1834, the Poor Law Commission was given the power to unite parishes in England and Wales into Poor Law Unions. Each Union was to be administered by a local Board of Guardians. Relief was to be provided through the provision of a workhouse. An amendment to the 1834 Act allowed already existing 'Gilbert's Unions' or Corporations of parishes to remain in existence, although they were encouraged to convert themselves into Poor Law Unions. Although there was some reorganisation of union boundaries, particularly in London, the majority of Unions created under the 1834 Act remained in operation until 1930. In March 1930 a new Local Government Bill abolished the Poor Law Unions and the Board of Guardians. Responsibility for their institutions passed to Public Assistance Committees managed by the county councils - in the metropolis either the London County Council or the Middlesex County Council.

Poplar Poor Law Union was constituted in 1836, consisting of the parishes of Bromley, Bow and Poplar. Poplar High Street Workhouse had been built in 1735. The Union took over management of this institution and began expansion and improvement works, with a complete rebuilding taking place in the 1850s. From 1871 onwards the workhouse accepted only able-bodied men, who were put to hard labour. Men from other Unions were accepted if spare space was available, while the aged and infirm from Poplar were sent to the Stepney Union workhouse and those in need of hospital care sent to the joint Poplar and Stepney Sick Asylum. The workhouse was forced to open for all classes on inmate in 1882 due to increased demand. In 1913 the workhouse was renamed Poplar Institution.

The Poplar Union purchased the Forest Gate School from the Forest Gate School District when the latter body was dissolved in 1897. The Union used the school both for training and as an overflow workhouse. The Union also managed a farm in Dunton, Essex, which housed unemployed men and their families. The men were employed in farm labour, thought to be more productive than the usual workhouse activities of oakum picking or stone breaking. In 1906 the Union constructed a cottage homes training school in Hutton, Essex. Cottage schools were small, family-home style houses laid out like a village, which were considered better for children than a large institution.

Source of information: Peter Higginbotham at The Workhouse website.

Poor relief was based on the Act for the Relief of the Poor of 1601 which obliged parishes to take care of the aged and needy in their area. Parish overseers were empowered to collect a local income tax known as the poor-rate which would be put towards the relief of the poor. This evolved into the rating system, where the amount of poor-rate charged was based on the value of a person's property. Early workhouses were constructed and managed by the parish. However, this process was expensive and various schemes were devised where groups of parishes could act together and pool their resources. As early as 1647 towns were setting up 'Corporations' of parishes. An Act of 1782, promoted by Thomas Gilbert, allowed adjacent parishes to combine into Unions and provide workhouses. These were known as 'Gilbert's Unions' and were managed by a board of Guardians.

Under the Poor Law Amendment Act of 1834, the Poor Law Commission was given the power to unite parishes in England and Wales into Poor Law Unions. Each Union was to be administered by a local Board of Guardians. Relief was to be provided through the provision of a workhouse. An amendment to the 1834 Act allowed already existing 'Gilbert's Unions' or Corporations of parishes to remain in existence, although they were encouraged to convert themselves into Poor Law Unions. Although there was some reorganisation of union boundaries, particularly in London, the majority of Unions created under the 1834 Act remained in operation until 1930. In March 1930 a new Local Government Bill abolished the Poor Law Unions and the Board of Guardians. Responsibility for their institutions passed to Public Assistance Committees managed by the county councils - in the metropolis either the London County Council or the Middlesex County Council.

Stepney Poor Law Union was formed in December 1836, consisting of the parishes of Limehouse, Mile End Old Town, Ratcliffe, Shadwell and Wapping. In 1857, Mile End Old Town left the Union to become a separate Poor Law 'Hamlet' and set up its own workhouse.

The Stepney Union was known as the Parish of Limehouse for a short period from 1921 to 1925. In 1925, the Hamlet of Mile End Old Town, the Parish of St George In The East, and the Whitechapel Union were added to the Stepney Union which was then renamed the Parish of Stepney Union in 1927.

Institutions managed by the various Unions, and finally by the Parish of Stepney Union, included Mile End Old Town Workhouse, Wapping Workhouse, Limehouse Workhouse, Ratcliffe Workhouse and Casual Wards, Saint Leonard's Street Workhouse, and the Stifford Children's Homes.

Source of information: Peter Higginbotham at The Workhouse website.

Tower Hamlets Commission of Sewers

Early Commissioners of Sewers were solely concerned with land drainage and the prevention of flooding, not with the removal of sewage in the modern sense. In 1531 an Act of Sewers was passed which set out in great detail the duties and powers of Commissioners and governed their work until the 19th century. Gradually a permanent pattern emerged in the London area of seven commissions, five north and two south of the Thames, with, after the Great Fire, a separate commission for the City of London. The London commissioners had more extensive powers than those in other parts of the country; they had control over all watercourses and ditches within two miles of the City of London as well as newly constructed drains and sewers. After 1800 the London commissioners also obtained powers to control the formation of new sewers and house drains.

Although as early as May 1598 a commission of sewers was issued "for her Mats. Mills called Chrashe Milles in the parishes of St. Botulphes without Algate London and St Marge Matfellon alias Whitechapple in the Countie of Middx" (The National Archives: Ind. 4208 Crown Office Docquet Book) no continuing commission for the Tower Hamlets area (as distinct from the Poplar area) seems to have been established until 1686 (The National Archives: Ind. 4215 Crown Office Docquet Book). The jurisdiction of the Commission covered parts of East London including Spitalfields, Mile End, Shadwell, Smithfield, Whitechapel, Wapping, Limehouse, Stepney, Poplar, Blackwall, Tower Hill, Bethnal Green, Bow, Bromley, Stratford, Hackney, Ratcliff and Clapton.

Poor relief was based on the Act for the Relief of the Poor of 1601 which obliged parishes to take care of the aged and needy in their area. Parish overseers were empowered to collect a local income tax known as the poor-rate which would be put towards the relief of the poor. This evolved into the rating system, where the amount of poor-rate charged was based on the value of a person's property. Early workhouses were constructed and managed by the parish. However, this process was expensive and various schemes were devised where groups of parishes could act together and pool their resources. As early as 1647 towns were setting up 'Corporations' of parishes. An Act of 1782, promoted by Thomas Gilbert, allowed adjacent parishes to combine into Unions and provide workhouses. These were known as 'Gilbert's Unions' and were managed by a board of Guardians.

Under the Poor Law Amendment Act of 1834, the Poor Law Commission was given the power to unite parishes in England and Wales into Poor Law Unions. Each Union was to be administered by a local Board of Guardians. Relief was to be provided through the provision of a workhouse. An amendment to the 1834 Act allowed already existing 'Gilbert's Unions' or Corporations of parishes to remain in existence, although they were encouraged to convert themselves into Poor Law Unions. Although there was some reorganisation of union boundaries, particularly in London, the majority of Unions created under the 1834 Act remained in operation until 1930. In March 1930 a new Local Government Bill abolished the Poor Law Unions and the Board of Guardians. Responsibility for their institutions passed to Public Assistance Committees managed by the county councils - in the metropolis either the London County Council or the Middlesex County Council.

Wandsworth and Clapham Union was constituted in 1836 and consisted of the parishes of Wandsworth, Putney, Clapham, Battersea, Streatham and Tooting Graveney. In 1904 these parishes were amalgamated into one parish to be known as the Parish of Wandsworth Borough. The title of the Union was altered to Wandsworth Union. The Wandsworth Union was the largest in London, supporting a population of more than 350,000.

Saint John's Hill Workhouse (also known as the Wandsworth and Clapham Union Workhouse) was constructed in 1838. In 1886 a new, larger workhouse was constructed in Swaffield Road. This allowed the older workhouse to become a dedicated infirmary or hospital, known as Saint John's Hill Infirmary.

Source of information: Peter Higginbotham at The Workhouse website.

Poor relief was based on the Act for the Relief of the Poor of 1601 which obliged parishes to take care of the aged and needy in their area. Parish overseers were empowered to collect a local income tax known as the poor-rate which would be put towards the relief of the poor. This evolved into the rating system, where the amount of poor-rate charged was based on the value of a person's property. Early workhouses were constructed and managed by the parish. However, this process was expensive and various schemes were devised where groups of parishes could act together and pool their resources. As early as 1647 towns were setting up 'Corporations' of parishes. An Act of 1782, promoted by Thomas Gilbert, allowed adjacent parishes to combine into Unions and provide workhouses. These were known as 'Gilbert's Unions' and were managed by a board of Guardians.

Under the Poor Law Amendment Act of 1834, the Poor Law Commission was given the power to unite parishes in England and Wales into Poor Law Unions. Each Union was to be administered by a local Board of Guardians. Relief was to be provided through the provision of a workhouse. An amendment to the 1834 Act allowed already existing 'Gilbert's Unions' or Corporations of parishes to remain in existence, although they were encouraged to convert themselves into Poor Law Unions. Although there was some reorganisation of union boundaries, particularly in London, the majority of Unions created under the 1834 Act remained in operation until 1930. In March 1930 a new Local Government Bill abolished the Poor Law Unions and the Board of Guardians. Responsibility for their institutions passed to Public Assistance Committees managed by the county councils - in the metropolis either the London County Council or the Middlesex County Council.

The Westminster Boards of Guardians were formed of several smaller Unions in the Westminster area which merged:

Saint George's Hanover Square Poor Law Union:

1789: Care and management of the poor vested in a body of Governors and Directors elected by the vestry of St George Hanover Square

1867: Superseded by a Board of Guardians for the parish

1870: Became part of Saint George's Union

Saint Margaret and Saint John Poor Law Union:

1851: Governors and Directors of the poor appointed for parishes of St Margaret and St John the Evangelist

1867: superseded by Board of Guardians for the united parishes

1870: became part of Saint George's Union

1875: Close of the Collegiate Church of St Peter added to Saint George's Union

City of Westminster Poor Law Union:

1913: Saint George's Union amalgamated with the Strand and Westminster Unions to form the City of Westminster Union

Strand Poor Law Union:

1836: Union formed of the parishes of the Liberty of the Rolls, Saint Clement Danes, Saint Mary le Strand, Saint Paul Covent Garden and the Precinct of the Savoy

1837: Parish of Saint Anne added

1868: Parish of Saint Anne removed to form part of the Westminster Union, and the parish of Saint Martin in the Fields added

1913: Strand Union amalgamated with Westminster Union and Saint George's Union

Westminster Poor Law Union

1727: poor of parish of Saint James in the care of the Vestry Parochial Committee

1762: Governors and Directors of the Poor appointed

1868: amalgamated with parish of St Anne to form Westminster Union. NB Vestry of St James continued to elect Governors and Directors until 1889 when they were abolished

1913: Westminster Union amalagamated with Strand and St George's Union to form City of Westminster Poor Law Union

Source of information: Peter Higginbotham at The Workhouse website.

West London School District

The 1834 Poor Law Act led to improvements in the arrangements made for the education of pauper children. Poor Law Unions, and parishes regulated by local acts, were persuaded to establish schools and to appoint schoolmasters. The policy of separating the children from their parents (who were generally considered to be a bad influence on their children) and sending them, if possible, to the country was continued and in 1866 several Middlesex metropolitan authorities were sending children to schools outside London. The Poor Law Amendment Act of 1844 made possible a further development in this field which was of significance for the metropolitan area. Unions and parishes were empowered to unite and to form a School District which then set up a large separate school for the education of all the indoor pauper children of the constituents of the district. These were usually industrial schools where both boys and girls were taught the basics of a useful trade which, it was hoped, would provide them with better prospects in future.

The West London School District was founded in 1868 and comprised the Fulham, Hammersmith and Paddington Poor Law Unions. The Saint George Hanover Square Union joined briefly between 1868 and 1870; while the City of Westminster Union joined in 1913. The District built a school at Ashford, near Staines. The school housed 800 children.

Source of information: Peter Higginbotham at The Workhouse website.

Test 2
South Thames Regional Health Authority

When the National Health Service was established in 1948, it was divided into three parts.

The personal health services, including ambulances, health visitors, community nursing and midwifery were run by local authorities. General medical services, including general practice, dental and ophthalmic services were the responsibility of the executive councils. Hospitals were placed under the control of regional hospital boards. Within each region hospitals were formed into groups and responsibility for more routine administration was delegated to the hospital group management committee. Teaching hospitals were excluded from this system. They had their own boards of governors who were directly responsible to the Minister of Health. Within each hospital region joint committees were established to facilitate consultation and cooperation between teaching hospitals and the board's hospitals.

In 1974 the regional hospital boards, hospital management committees and most boards of governors were abolished. They were replaced by regional health authorities and area health authorities, which were responsible for the three formerly separate parts of the NHS. In 1982 the area health authorities were in turn abolished. Their powers were transferred to district health authorities.

In 1947 the South East Metropolitan Regional Hospital Board was formed, responsible for Kent, East Sussex and south east London. Similarly, the South West Metropolitan Regional Hospital Board was formed, responsible for Surrey, West Sussex and south west London. In 1974 they were renamed as South West Thames Regional Health Authority and South East Thames Regional Health Authority. In 1994 they were merged to form the South Thames Regional Health Authority.

Inner London Quarter Sessions

The origins of the Justices of the Peace lie in the temporary appointments of 'conservators' or 'keepers' of the peace made at various times of unrest between the late twelfth century and the fourteenth century. In 1361 the 'Custodis Pacis' were merged with the Justices of Labourers, and given the title Justices of the Peace and a commission (see MJP). The Commission (of the Peace) gave them the power to try offences in their courts of Quarter Sessions, appointed them to conserve the peace within a stated area, and to enquire on the oaths of "good and lawfull men" into "all manner of poisonings, enchantments, forestallings, disturbances, abuses of weights and measures" and many other things, and to "chastise and punish" anyone who had offended against laws made in order to keep the peace.

The cases which the justices originally dealt with were offences which could not be dealt with by the manorial court (i.e. misdemeanours), but which were less serious than those which went to the Assize Judges (i.e. felonies). Misdemeanours included breaches of the peace - assault, rioting, defamation, minor theft, vagrancy, lewd and disorderly behaviour, and offences against the licensing laws. In 1388 a statute laid down that the court sessions should meet four times a year (hence the name 'Quarter Sessions'): Epiphany, Easter, Trinity (midsummer) and Michaelmas (autumn) - two or more justices (one at least from the quorum) were to decide exactly where and when.

The judicial process began even before the sessions opened with examinations being taken by the magistrates once the crime had been reported by the constable, the injured party or a common informant. The accused could then be bailed to keep the peace or to appear at the next sessions, be remanded in gaol before a trial, or acquitted. Once the sessions had opened there was still an examination by a Grand Jury as to whether there was a case to answer, before the trial proper could get underway.

During the sixteenth century the work of the Quarter Sessions and the justices was extended to include administrative functions for the counties. These were wide ranging and included maintenance of structures such as bridges, gaols and asylums; regulating weights, measures, prices and wages, and, probably one of their biggest tasks, enforcing the Poor Law. The dependence of the justices on officials like the sheriff, the constables, and the Clerk of the Peace to help them carry out their functions (both judicial and administrative) cannot be underestimated. As their workload grew, particularly during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, more help was needed and there was an increase in the number of officers appointed for specific tasks, and committees for specific purposes were set up.

The bulk of the administrative work was carried out on one specific day during the court's sitting known as the County Day. By the beginning of the nineteenth century, it was clear that the Quarter Session's structure was unable to cope with the administrative demands on it, and it lost a lot of functions to bodies set up specifically to deal with particular areas - the most important of these was the Poor Law, reformed in 1834. By the end of the century, when the Local Government Act of 1889 established county councils, the sessions had lost all their administrative functions. The judicial role of the Quarter Sessions continued until 1971, when with the Assize courts they were replaced by the Crown Courts.

Alongside the aforementioned functions of the Quarter Sessions, was its role as the place of registration and deposit for official non-sessions records, which needed to be certified and available for inspection.

Much of the routine judicial and administrative work during the period covered by the existing records was carried out by small groups of justices. This was done outside the main court sittings by the justices in their local areas - usually within a Hundred division. Special Sessions were held for purposes such as licensing alehouses (Brewster Sessions), or to organise the repair of the highways. More common were the meetings of one or two justices in what became known as petty sessions and which dealt with issues such as rating, granting of licences, the appointment of parish officers, and the examination of witnesses and suspects prior to the start of the next sessions. Increasingly here the justices also began to determine cases involving minor offences and exercise 'summary jurisdiction'.

The inconvenience of using their own homes for this work, and the need for the public to know where magistrates would be available led to the setting up of 'public offices'. The first one was in Bow Street, Westminster from about 1727. In 1828 all courts of Quarter Sessions were allowed to create within their county, divisions for petty sessions, thus formalising any earlier informal arrangements.

The County of London sessions met in Clerkenwell Green until 1919 when they moved to the former Surrey sessions house on Newington Causeway.

This commercial company developed high density housing blocks for artisans in Central London. It was founded by Sydney Waterlow in 1863 at the time of many philanthropic housing developments. Registered Office in 1925: 5 Grosvenor Crescent, London, SW1.

The company started with an initial capital of £50,000 and its shareholders included MP's, lawyers, builders and merchants. It built in blocks of 5-7 storeys providing self contained housing for artisans. By 1871 over 1,000 dwellings were occupied and the company profits grew above 5 per cent dividend paid. It worked from standard plans (prepared by a surveyor rather than an architect) and built many estates including Wapping, Cromwell buildings Southwark, Kings Cross Road, Old Street, Pancras Road, Greenwich, High Street Islington and Bethnal Green.

This collection also contains records of two subsidiary companies, Greencoat Properties Ltd and the Soho, Clerkenwell and General Industrial Dwellings Company Limited.

The National Council of Voluntary Organisations (formerly the National Council of Social Service) grew out of the beliefs that the best way to preserve voluntary services would be if the diverse agencies came together in an overall council to eliminate confusion and overlap; and that they should work together with the newly developing statutory services. The first step in setting up the National Council was the issue in March 1919 of a memorandum from the Local Government Board with a covering letter signed by Sir Aubrey Simmons, then secretary of the Board and first chairman of the council. The memorandum recommended the formation of local councils of social service and set out the aims of a future National Council of Social Service, together with the names of members and bodies giving their support.

In 1919 the councils objectives were:

  • to promote the systematic organisation of voluntary social work, nationally and locally.
  • to assist in the formation in each local government area representations of both voluntary effort and statutory administration.
  • to provide information for voluntary social workers.

    Captain Lionel Ellis was the only paid officer in 1919, and Professor WGS Adams took over from Aubrey Simmons as Chairman for the next 30 years. By 1924 the NCSS was soundly established and on 14 May 1928 was awarded charitable status in the High Court. In this same year the NCSS moved to its first headquarters at 26 Bedford Square, London WC1. The work of the NCSS between the wars was beset by problems, most notably the economic welfare of the countryside, rural depopulation, housing and the increasing problem of unemployment. Its answer was to establish and support the rural movement by means of Community Councils, citizens advise bureaux, support to the elderly and disabled and to provide secretariat for branches of groups such as the National Playing Fields Association.

    1969 was the Golden Jubilee of the NCSS celebrated in Guildhall with a reception attended by HM the Queen, HRH the Prince Philip Duke of Edinburgh and over 900 guests. The 50th year marked a new look and reorganisation for the NCSS by the review committee concluding that the NCSS 'should be seen as one living, vigorous entity and not a federation of varied and autonomous associated bodies'. One of the most important roles of the NCSS in the 1970s was that of an information and advice resource. Their role in the rural communities by the provision of advice on all matters and their efforts continued both nationally and internationally.

    On 1st April 1980 the NCSS became the National Council for Voluntary Organisations. An extraordinary general meeting called in July 1973 discussed the name change; since the implementation of the Social Services Act in 1970 confusion had arisen between voluntary and statutory bodies. Its new aims as set down in the 1980 Annual Report were:

  • to extend the involvement of voluntary organisations in responding to social issues
  • to be a resource centre for voluntary organisations
  • to protect the interests and independence of voluntary organisation.

    One of its key roles was to make skills, guidance and advice available to all charities and voluntary organisations as well as developing new models of social support. NCVO increased its membership by 150 in 3 years with a striking number of new members providing aid for illness or disability and furthermore opened membership to leading organisations in relevant fields of activity. In the early 1980s these were 528 members, links with 159 councils for voluntary service and 38 rural community councils. It had 8 major departments and employed 152 staff.

    In the early 1990s the NCVO established a working party to make recommendations on developing and maintaining high standards of efficiency and effectiveness within the voluntary sector. The report "Effectiveness and the Voluntary Sector" set out an agenda for action by NCVO and the wider voluntary sector - with emphasis on effectiveness in management and services within voluntary bodies. The Corporate Affiliation Scheme was launched in 1989 attracting 20 leading companies and in 1992 NCVO played a large role in the Charities Act 1992 by making representations to improve the Bill and by guiding Charities through the new law.

    In June 1992 the NCVO moved from Bedford Square to Regent's Wharf, London W1 where they remain today, continuing its role as the "voice of the voluntary sector".

The Metropolitan Association (founded 1841, incorporated by Royal Charter 1845) was the first organisation to build 'social' housing on a large scale. It was part of the philanthropic movement which reserved the right to profit for the investor (commonly known as Five Per Cent Philanthropy). Its pioneering block dwellings in Old Pancras Road, London were completed in 1848 and acted as a model for future developments in other big cities. Indeed the Association had branches in Liverpool, Newcastle, Torquay, Bristol, Wolverhampton, Sunderland, Brighton, Dudley, Ramsgate and Southampton.

Warrens , solicitors

There are several solicitors firms called 'Warrens' listed in the London Post Office Directories.

In 1929 the London County Council tramways, the Underground railways and the London General Omnibus Company proposed to coordinate their services. It was not until 1933, however, that the London Passenger Transport Board (LPTB) was established by law.

During the Second World War the government assumed control of the LPTB, and remained in charge until 1947. In that year the Transport Act set up the British Transport Commission, which appointed executive bodies to deal with transport throughout the country. One of these took over the whole of road and rail transport in London, while the LPTB became the London Transport Executive in 1948.

Between 1970 and 1984 the Greater London Council (GLC) was responsible for the overall policy and finances of London Transport, while the London Tranport Executive was responsible for the day-to-day management and operation of services. On the abolition of the GLC in 1984, London Regional Transport was formed as a statutory corporation responsible to the government. It set up a number of wholly owned subsidiaries, including London Underground Limited and London Buses Limited. In 1990 London Regional Transport became known again as London Transport for all but legal purposes.

London Schools Football Association

The London Schools Football Association is a voluntary body with no paid officials. It was founded in October 1892 at a meeting of officials from football associations from Tower Hamlets, Greenwich, Finsbury, West Ham, Marylebone and South London. The first president was Lord Kinnaird (1892-1920).

Westminster Jews Free School

A school existed as part of the Western Synagogue from 1820 and at that time the aim of the school was "that male children of the Jewish persuasion (whose parents are unable to afford them educated) be instructed in Hebrew and English reading, writing and arithmetic; that the principle of religion be carefully inculcated and every exertion used to render them good and useful members of society".

The School was funded by voluntary contributions and classes were held at the teachers homes. The children were admitted from age 5 to 12 and discharged at 13. In addition to instruction, the boys received gifts of clothing and on barmitzvah an entire new outfit was provided.

By 1837 the school committee had decided to rent premises in Stanhope Street but by 1843 this was too small and a new school was opened in Greek Street. The equivalent girls school opened in 1846 at Richmond Buildings, Dean Street and shortly after moved to Greek Street. Its aims were '... the diffusion of religion and knowledge of moral and social principles among the young and ignorant.'

In 1853 the 2 schools were amalgamated and named the Westminster Jews Free School. It remained at Greet Street until 1882 when it became obvious the school was no longer big enough. A new school was built in Hanway Place and consecrated in July 1883 and could now accommodate 500 children. By 1911 the school numbers had decreased dramatically and on 31 December 1945 the school officially closed down.

The College was founded in 1893 by the National Society in the disused Brew House of the Archbishop of Canterbury at Lambeth Palace. Here, training was provided for teachers of Cookery and Laundry. Housewifery was added to the curriculum in the first decade of the twentieth century after the College had acquired additional premises in Charles Street, Southwark.

In 1902, under the will of the late Mr Richard Berridge, a large sum of money became available for technical education and in 1904 the Board of Education approved a scheme submitted by the National Society for building a new college. Land was acquired in Hampstead, a Governing Body set up and in 1908 the specially planned building, Berridge House, was completed.

After the move to Hampstead, the curriculum was expanded to include technical courses, and later on, a three year course leading to the Teacher's Certificate of the University of London Institute of Education was offered.

As the College continued to expand, the following premises were also used to provide teaching rooms and accommodation: 54 Fortune Green Road (from October 1913), 52 Fortune Green Road (from September 1915), 13 Parsifal Road (from June 1927), 15 Parsifal Road (from 1929), 6 Parsifal Road (from October 1929) and "the annex", a former church hall, in Fortune Green Road (from September 1930). In 1932 the Field Lane School and its land adjoining the College was bought and adapted. This formed the 'West Wing' which was later re-named Maughan House. In 1937 Holland House was built in the grounds of Maughan House.

During World War One Berridge House was occupied by the WRAF and used as a school for instruction. It re-opened in September 1919. In World War Two the college buildings were requisitioned, and the staff and students moved to Bournemouth. Princes Hotel, Bournemouth, became the college headquarters, Pokesdown Technical Institute at Boscombe provided facilities for teaching cookery, and science and laundry lessons were held in Bournemouth Municipal College. Further accommodation for teaching and residence was found in the hotels in the City.

In March 1945 the National Society requested the Council of the Church Training Colleges to accept Berridge House into its federation. Sixteen years later it was decided that Berridge House should be amalgamated with another church training college, and in 1964 it joined St. Katherine's College, Tottenham, to form the College of All Saints, White Hart Lane, Tottenham. Berridge House continued in use for Home Economics until September 1965.

Army and Navy Club

Founded in August 1837, the Club was formed to meet the needs of the many army officers wanting to join a Service Club, most of which were already full. The Duke of Wellington said he would become neither a patron nor a Member unless membership was also offered to officers of the Royal Navy and Royal Marines. Hence, the "Army and Navy Club" came into being.

The Club acquired its nickname from Captain William (Billy) Higginson Duff. He described the Club as a 'Rag and Famish affair' which was intended as a great insult, since the 'Rag and Famish' was a squalid gaming house 'for broken down gamblers who played for coppers'. The Members were amused rather than insulted by this and formed a 'Rag and Famish' dining club. The name was gradually adopted as the Club's nickname, eventually being reduced to 'The Rag'.

The Club has actively collected and commissioned works of art which decorate the clubhouse (See House Committee Minutes LMA/4179/01/05/01). Their collection even includes a mounted penguin which is a survivor from the first Scott Antarctic Expedition.

From http://www.armynavyclub.co.uk/the-club/club-history/index.html

The Club also assembled an impressive library for its members. The Library Committee records (LMA/4179/01/06) provide an insight into the interests of the membership.

The membership of the club appears to have expected a high level of hospitality. A separate committee was instituted to oversee the Club's wine (LMA/4179/01/07) and the food on offer at the Club was frequently discussed by the General Committee (LMA/4179/01/02).

From 1962 women were granted Associate Membership of the Club (see LMA/4179/02/01/002).

The first club house opened its doors in 1838. Originally the Club leased 18 Saint James Square, which had formerly been occupied by the Oxford and Cambridge Club. Premises then moved to 15 Saint James Square, Lichfield House, in 1843 but the search for more permanent premises began. During 1846-7 six freehold properties in Saint James Square were purchased on the corner with Pall Mall. In January 1846 the Club initiated a competition to design their new club house. After a false start, Alfred Smith and C O Parnell won the competition. Building began in 1848 and doors opened in 1851. Major renovations took place in 1878-9 and 1924-7. New buildings to the rear of the club house were leased in 1919 to accommodate demand for bedrooms.

From http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=40563

The historic building was demolished in 1958. During the rebuilding, the club used 46 and 47 Pall Mall which were subsequently sold. The club house, in its present state, opened in 1963.

See LMA/4179/05 for the documents relating to the club real estate.

This catalogue is dedicated to the memory of Anthony Dixon, the Army and Navy Club's Honorary Archivist. He was instrumental in the transfer of this collection to LMA and provided invaluable assistance in the cataloguing of this collection as a volunteer. Unfortunately, he passed away before the catalogue could be completed.

The Ritz Hotel , London

The Ritz was built for the Blackpool Building and Vendor Company Ltd on the site of the Walsingham House and Bath Hotels in Piccadilly, to the specifications of Swiss Hotelier Cesar Ritz. The hotel opened on 24th May 1906.

The Manor of Osterley in Heston was purchased by property developer Nicholas Barbon in 1683. Barbon conveyed the Manor to two co-mortgagees including the banker Sir Francis Child the elder (1642-1718). Child took possession of the Manor on Barbon's death in 1698, while his son Robert Child (d. 1721) bought out the co-mortgagee, so that the Child family owned the whole estate. The family expanded the estates by purchasing nearby Manors and commissioned Robert Adam to redesign the house.

The estates and Child's Bank were inherited by Sarah Anne (1764-1793), daughter and sole heir of Robert Child (d 1782). Under the terms of Robert Child's will the estates passed to Sarah Anne's daughter Lady Sarah Sophia Fane (1785-1867), who was said to have an income of £60,000 a year. Lady Sarah married George Villiers, the fifth Earl of Jersey (1773-1859) who took the name Child-Villiers in 1812. Osterley Park stayed in the Jersey family until 1949 when it was sold to the National Trust.

In 1800 the Manor of Hayes was sold to the executors of Robert Child's will and was therefore added to Osterley and passed to Lady Sarah Sophia Fane and her husband the Earl of Jersey. They sold the Manor in 1829 to Robert Willis Blencowe.

The Manors of Norwood and Southall were united in 1547. In 1754 they were sold to Agatha Child who left them to her son Francis Child. They were united with the Manor of Hayes and followed the same descent-passing to the Jersey family and then sold to Robert Willis Blencowe.

For more information about Osterley Park and Manor see 'Heston and Isleworth: Osterley Park', and 'Heston and Isleworth: Manors', A History of the County of Middlesex: Volume 3: Shepperton, Staines, Stanwell, Sunbury, Teddington, Heston and Isleworth, Twickenham, Cowley, Cranford, West Drayton, Greenford, Hanwell, Harefield and Harlington (1962), pp. 100-111 (available online).

See also 'Hayes: Manors and other estates' and 'Norwood, including Southall: Manors', A History of the County of Middlesex: Volume 4: Harmondsworth, Hayes, Norwood with Southall, Hillingdon with Uxbridge, Ickenham, Northolt, Perivale, Ruislip, Edgware, Harrow with Pinner (1971), pp. 26-29 and pp. 43-45.

Muriel Smith began her career as an Assistant Warden and Youth Leader of a purpose-built community centre outside Reading. In 1942 she trained in social work at Liverpool University and attended Reading University part time where she completed a degree in Philosophy and Psychology.

From 1949 to 1969 Muriel Smith worked with the London Voluntary Service Council (LCSS) as the head of the Community Development Department and was involved in the administering of grants from the LCC and GLC. She was also involved with the Central Housing Advisory Committee and a member of the Parker Morris Subcommittee which produced the report Homes for Today and Tomorrow. Her work brought her in touch with some of the major charitable trusts, in particular the City Parochial Foundation and the Gulbenkian Foundation in which Muriel was a member of many committees leading to various Gulbenkian publications.

In 1969 Muriel Smith was seconded to the Home Office as a consultant to the Community Development Project which was "...an attempt to research into the better understanding and comprehensive tackling of social needs, especially in local communities within older urban areas, through closer co-ordination of central and local official and unofficial effort, informed and stimulated by citizen initiative and involvement.", and later to the Voluntary Service Unit.

Muriel Smith was involved with the setting up of the Association of London Housing Estates and the Kenilworth Group.

Even after her retirement in 1979 Muriel Smith continued to be active in social work. She was responsible for three long-term Manpower Service projects, one sponsored by Toynbee Hall, were she helped with the preparations for their centenary year and gave a years voluntary service at their social centre working with mainly Bengali and Somali mothers and babies. The other two projects were sponsored by members of the Bengali local community who elected her as their organising secretary, as well as being a member of the Tower Hamlets Association for Racial Equality, and the subcommittee on education.

J W Falkner and Sons Ltd , builders

J.W.Falkner and Sons Limited was a building company with its origins in the mid-nineteenth century, with William John Falkner (1804-1864) who had been apprenticed in 1823 to a carpenter and builder and traded in his own right as a carpenter and house agent. On his death the business was taken over by his son John William Falkner (1844-1909). It was John William who developed the firm including building premises at 24, Ossory Road, off the Old Kent Road, SE1, where the firm remained until the 1990's.

When John William retired in 1900, he handed over to his sons - chiefly Alfred Beech Falkner (d.1942), other sons set up several firms in the industry as builders or builders merchants. William Bernard Wood (1882-1944) worked in the firm as a surveyor and when Alfred Beech got into financial difficulties in 1928 was instrumental in establishing a new limited company - J.W.Falkner and Sons Limited.

Work in the 1920s and 1930s was executed for several of the leading architects of the day, including Lutyens, Curtis Green, Giles Gilbert Scott, Collcutt and Hamp, Claire Neuheim, and Wills and Kaula. A variety of houses around Beaconsfield and Le Touquet were built during this time.

Richard Alfred Wood (b.1915) entered the firm in 1934, becoming a director a few years later. On his father's death he obtained compassionate leave from the military service to arrange matters at the company and the firm continued in low-key for the remainder of the war. War-time jobs included work at the naval station at Lyness on Hoy in the Orkney Islands, a job for the Ministry of Aircraft Production at Colnbrook and a variety of bomb shelters and war damage work.

After the war the company worked for various architects such as Hatchard Smith and Bertram, Sergei Kadleigh, Fry and Drew, and Austin Vernon and Partners. They had a regular involvement with St Thomas Medical School and did work for both the LCC and GLC, and developed a speciality in the alteration and refurbishment of historic churches, contracts included work at All Souls, Langham Place; Holy Trinity, Southwark; and Saint Stephen's, Walbrook.

It was at this time that the company purchased Melhuish and Saunders Limited of Wells, Somerset, which was then run by Richard Alfred's brother William Stanley Wood. In 1962 Richard Alfred established another subsidiary - the Preservation Centre for Wood. Thus in 1963 the original company became a formal holding company - Falkner and Sons (Holdings) Limited, and a new subsidiary - J.W.Falkner and Sons Limited. In 1993 the latter company went into administrative receivership and was liquidated, the name was changed to Testlodge Limited in 1997 and wound up 1998. The assets of this company were sold by the receivers to Falkner-Wood Limited (in operation as of 2010). Falkner and Sons (Holdings) Limited became FH2 Limited in 2001 and was dissolved in 2008.

John A Neligan was a Police photographer, Greater London Council staff photographer, and local authority photographer including City of London Corporation where he worked for London Metropolitan Archives and Guildhall Library. He also worked for the government's Central Office of Information. In 2011 he was continuing his photographic work for the Port of London Authority and Thames Water.

National Provincial Bank Ltd

The National Provincial Bank was founded in 1833. It established administrative offices in London and branches outside the city, allowing it to issue its own banknotes. By 1865 the bank had 122 branches throughout England and Wales.

In 1866 the bank established a new head office in Bishopsgate, and opened its first London branch (obliging it to give up its own banknotes). In 1918 the bank merged with the Union Bank of London and was renamed National Provincial and Union Bank of England Ltd, which was shortened to National Provincial Bank Ltd in 1924. It merged with National Westminster Bank in 1970, and is now part of the Royal Bank of Scotland group.

Unknown.

The administrative history of this photograph cannot be traced.

The Local Government Association (LGA) was formed on 1 April 1997 as a merger of the Association of County Councils (ACC), the Association of District Councils (ADC), and the Association of Metropolitan Authorities (AMA). Its aim was to represent the interests of principal local authorities in England and Wales.

Wembley Stadium Public Limited Company

Wembley Stadium was constructed in 1922-23 as an athletics and entertainments centre for the British Empire Exhibition in 1924. It was designed by Sir John Simpson and Maxwell Ayrton and had a seating capacity of 120,000. The 14th Olympic Games were held there in 1948. The stadium was subsequently used for international football and hockey matches, greyhound racing, speedway racing, music concerts, the Football Association (FA) Cup final and Rugby League finals. It was rebuilt in 2007.

Various.

Paul Robeson was born on 9th April 1898 in Princeton to the Rev William Drew and Maria Louisa Robeson. His father was a former slave who had escaped to freedom at age 15 and earned a theological degree at Lincoln University. He worked as pastor of Princeton's Witherspoon Street Presbyterian Church for twenty years until the authorities forced him to resign believing him to be a 'misfit' who fosters 'a general unrest and dissatisfaction on the part of others'. At age 55 William Drew had to support his family by driving coaches and hauling ashes. Further tragedy was to beset the Robeson family in 1904 when Maria Robeson was burned to death when her clothes caught fire over an open coal stove.

In 1907 the family moved to Westfield, where Paul's father built a small church and ministered a small congregation for the next 3 years before the family moved again to Somerville. Here the family finally settled. William Drew became pastor of St Thomas A.M.E Zion Church and Paul attended Somerville High School where his talent for academic study, music, oratory and athletics became apparent.

In 1915 Paul Robeson won a 4 year scholarship to Rutgers, and despite much physical intimidation he became one of the best football players of his generation. In May 1918 the Reverend Robeson died.

Paul Robeson graduated from Rutgers in 1919 and was accepted to Columbia University Law School where he financed his studies by tutoring in Latin and playing pro-football. In 1920 he met Eslanda 'Essie' Goode, the first black analytical chemist at Columbia Medical Centre whom he married in 1921.

His acting debut came in 1922 as Jim in Taboo at the Sam Harris Theatre, and after some hesitation he agreed to star in a British production of the play renamed Voodoo, where he met Lawrence Brown, a black American musician who was to become a life-long friend. In 1923 Paul Robeson was hired as the only African-American at the law firm of Stotesbury and Miner in New York but shortly after resigned his law career when a white secretary refused to take dictation from him.

Over the next ten years Paul Robeson's acting career made him an internationally known star. His films included Eugene O'Neill's All Gods Chillun' Got Wings, The Emperor Jones, Sanders of the River, Jericho and Song of Freedom, as well as stage productions of Show Boat, Porgy and most famously Othello in which Robeson was only the second black actor to portray Othello. By 1932 Robeson's marriage and his health were beginning to fail, but at the same time Robeson's interest in political and ethnic concerns were coming to the fore. In 1934 he made a whistlestop tour of the Soviet Union and considered resettling his family there in a country where he felt all races were treated equally. This tour however helped to fuel the hostility felt toward Robeson's outspoken opinions.

In 1937 at London's Albert Hall Robeson brought the Hall to a standstill by changing the lyrics of Ol' Man River from "I'm tired of livin' and scared of dyin'" to "I must keep fightin' until I'm dyin'"

Throughout the Second World War Robeson continued to fight for leftist and anti-fascist causes, inspite of being hounded by the House Committee on Un-American Activities as a communist and being placed under surveillance by the FBI.

In March 1947 Robeson announced that he would stop doing professional concerts for two years and devote himself to the fight against racial prejudice. In 1950 he was asked to give up his passport after denouncing the Korean War. Paul Robeson refused. In answer to his refusal the State department told him he could keep his passport if he swore he was not a communist, again he refused, filing a suit against the State demanding the return of his passport. It was not to be returned until 1958.

The last ten years of Robeson's life were beset with illness both himself suffering from exhaustion to chronic depression and Essie who had terminal cancer but kept it from Paul until her death in 1965 two days before her seventieth birthday. In 1974 the FBI concluded that 'no further investigation [of Robeson] is warranted'. In 1976 aged 77 Paul Robeson died in Philadelphia on January 23. Five thousand mourners attended his funeral, where they listened to recorded spirituals sung by Robeson.

Various.

Buildings featured include the:
Ritzy Cinema, Brixton;
The Palace, Denmark Hill;
Empire Music Hall, Camberwell;
Peckham Crown Theatre;
Hippodrome, Peckham;
Bingo Club, Peckham;
Empire, New Cross Road;
Broadway Theatre, Deptford;
Wellington Street, Woolwich;
Grand Theatre, Woolwich;
Hippodrome and Brownhill Road, Catford;
The Oxford, Oxford Street;
Palladium, London;
The Empire, Leicester Square;
The Alhambra, Leicester Square;
Daly's Theatre;
The Hippodrome, London;
Theatre Royal, Haymarket;
His Majesty's Theatre;
Lyric Theatre;
The Globe Theatre;
Cambridge Cross and Palace Theatre;
Wyndhams Theatre;
Garrick Theatre;
The Coliseum;
Duke of York's Theatre;
The Opera House, Covent Garden;
Drury Lane Theatre;
Vaudeville Theatre;
Adelphi Theatre;
Gaiety Theatre;
Waldorf Theatre, Kingsway;
The Old Vic;
St. James Theatre;
Imperial Theatre;
Euston Music Hall;
Camden Theatre, Camden;
Deacons Music Hall;
Sadler's Wells;
Collin's Music Hall, Islington;
Marlborough Theatre, Holloway;
Empire, Holloway Road;
Hackney Empire, Mare Street;
Finsbury Park Empire;
Alexandra Theatre;
The Palace, Stoke Newington Road;
Hippodrome, Golders Green;
Tottenham Palace;
Walthamstow Palace;
Hippodrome, Poplar;
Hippodrome, Harlesden;
Palace, East Ham;
Walham Green, The Broadway;
Coronet Theatre, Notting Hill Gate;
Grand Theatre, Fulham;
Shepherd's Bush Empire;
Kings Theatre, Hammersmith;
Chiswick Empire;
Ealing Hippodrome;
Grand Music Hall, Clapham Junction;
Hippodrome, Balham;
Duchess Theatre, Balham;
Wimbledon Theatre;
Prince of Wales Theatre, Richmond-upon-Thames;
Grand Theatre, Croydon;
Prince of Wales Theatre, Kennington;
Borough Theatre, Stratford; and
Grand Opera House, Croydon.

Actors featured include:
Sir Henry Irving;
Harry Tate;
Kitty Colyer;
Mr and Mrs Kendal;
Eugene Stratton;
Hetty King;
Marie Lloyd;
Alec Burley;
Little Tich;
George Robey;
Fanny Fields;
Fred Terry;
Julia Neilson;
Gertie Gitana;
Elsie Craven;
Beerholm Tree;
Sir Charles Wyndham;
Arthur Bouchier;
Maud Allen;
Fred Emney;
Harry Fragson;
Harry Randall;
Walter Passmore;
Camille Clifford;
Cyril Maude;
Gladys Cooper;
Seymour Hicks;
Ellaline Terriss;
George Alexander;
Lewis Waller;
Henry J. Wood;
Ellen Terry; and
Mrs Patrick Campbell.

The Herst Leather Corporation Ltd was founded by Norbert Herst. The 1935 Post Office Directory lists Norbert Herst as a leather merchant based at 13 Market Street, SE1. By 1950 the listing has changed to N Herst Leather Corporation Ltd of 51 Weston Street, Southwark, SE1 and 3 and 4 Leather Market, SE1. Leading Leathers Ltd and Avondale Tannery were both incorporated by the Herst Leather Corporation in the 1950's.

Charles Beauclerk (1670-1726) was the illegitimate son of Charles II and Nell Gwyn. His father made him Duke of St Albans in 1684. He married Lady Diana de Vere, daughter and sole heir of Aubrey de Vere, the last earl of Oxford. They had 8 sons, including James Beauclerk, bishop of Hereford, and Aubrey Beauclerk, naval officer.

The documents in this collection appear to relate to the property of their 3rd son, Vere Beauclerk (1699-1781). Vere had a successful career in the Navy, rising to the rank of admiral. He was also a Member of Parliament for New Windsor and then for Plymouth. He was married to Mary Chambers, the daughter of Thomas Chambers of Haworth. Mary was said to have inherited £45,000. Vere was created Baron Vere of Hanworth in 1750. He lived in St James's Square, Westminster.

Information from: W. A. B. Douglas, 'Beauclerk, Vere, Baron Vere of Hanworth (1699-1781)', Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004; online edn, Jan 2008 and William Hunt, 'Beauclerk, Charles, first duke of St Albans (1670-1726)', rev. Jonathan Spain, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004; online edn, Jan 2008.

GLC , Greater London Council

The Architecture Foundation was founded in 1991 to promote contemporary architecture through exhibitions, competitions and design initiatives.

Unione Ticinese , mutual aid society

The Unione Ticinese was originally founded as a mutual aid society by Ticinesi immigrants mainly form the Alpine valleys of Blenio and Leventina in Switzerland's Italian speaking area of Ticino.

In June 1939 the Ladies section was formed, and in 1954 these two sections merged, creating the basis of today's continuing society.

The Unione Ticinese's aims and objectives are:

  • To foster among members of the society and particularly among its younger ones, the spirit of Ticinese character and strengthen the bonds of friendship and fellowship.
  • To promote and encourage social cultural and educational activities of a general nature which embrace common values and traditions of the Ticino and of its neighbouring regions.
  • To encourage the development of youth activities and to enable new arrivals from Italian speaking Switzerland to integrate easily into the English way of life.
  • To maintain close ties with the 'Pro-Ticino' movement, with the 'Organisation of the Swiss Abroad' in Bern and with other Swiss and European organisations whose overall aims are in the interest to the membership of the society.
  • To celebrate each year and in an appropriate manner, the anniversary of the foundation of the organisation.
  • To assist members in case of grave need.
Cowley Recreational Institution

No historical information could be found for the Cowley Recreational Institution. It appears to have been a youth centre in Cowley, Hillingdon.

Belmont Synagogue

The Belmont Shul was officially formed on 16th February 1966. This was a result of a meeting of local community members held at the house of David Shine in 1965 which identified a need for a Synagogue/meeting place in that area. It was formally accepted into the United Synagogue as a member in the same year in which it was founded.

By the time land was purchased for the site of the Shul in 1977 membership had already grown to 365 members despite not having a communal building to meet and practice in. It was not until 1981 that this purpose-built site was completed and their first service was held at Vernon Drive, Wemborough Road, Stanmore. The first part-time minister was Reverend Elkan Levy who resigned in 1973 and was replaced by Reverend David Freedman. Rabbi Shafer became the new minister in 1989, succeeded by Rabbi Geoffrey Hyman in 1992 and most recently Rabbi Daniel Roselaar.

Apart from carrying out religious functions (the first Barmitzvah was in 1970 and the first Bat Chayil ceremony was in 1975), Belmont Synagogue developed many community groups and activities including a kindergarten, a choir, a youth club, a scouts and brownie group, a social and cultural group and societies such as the Belmont Israel Society which promotes the State of Israel and carries out fundraising work for causes in that country.

The Synagogue was, and is still, run by a Board of Management and Council of Management which accepted female members for the first time in 1987 and 1988 respectively. In 1990 the Shul celebrated its 25th Anniversary by commissioning a new Sefer Toarah which was dedicated by the Chief Rabbi, Dr Jonathan Sacks. In 1994 membership had reached 508 male and 173 female members and the Synagogue continues to thrive in 2001 with a membership of 724.

Michael Ward (b 1949) was active in different areas of the Greater London Council during his career. In 1976-1977 he was an additional member of the Housing Development Committee. In 1981 he became the Chair of the Industry and Employment Committee and from 1982 he was Chairman of the Enterprise Board Selection Panel. From 1982 he was also the Vice-Chairman of the London Community Builders Sub-Committee and the Supplies and Contract Services Sub-Committee. He was elected as a Member of the Greater London Council for Haringey, Wood Green on 7 May 1981 and served until the GLC's abolition in 1986. Outside of his responsibilities with the GLC he also worked for an advice centre for the homeless in London. He is currently the Chief Executive of the London Development Agency.