Hill , Octavia , 1838-1912 , housing and social reformer

Octavia Hill was born in Cambridgeshire in 1838, and was educated at home. She moved to London and became concerned with the condition of the urban poor and campaigned for housing reform and a more pleasant living environment, including the provision of open spaces. She was heavily involved in the Kyrle Society, founded by her elder sister Miranda, to 'Bring Beauty Home to the Poor'. Octavia Hill joined the Royal Commission for the Poor Law in 1905. She died of cancer in 1912.