Inspirational Women of Vauxhall

Inspirational Women of Vauxhall

Join Dr Jane Jordan to walk in the footsteps of the pioneering women who made their mark on Vauxhall over the centuries. Starting with Vauxhall’s origins, we will uncover the forgotten history of a C13th feminist who fought for a woman’s right to choose her own husband. Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens became the fashionable destination south of the river in the late C18th, and we’ll hear about the daring women trapeze artists and equestriennes who topped the bill. Across the river the landscape was dominated by Millbank Pr*son and the Houses of Parliament, and we will uncover the histories of Victorian women activists who devoted their lives to reforming laws affecting women and girls. We’ll discover how Rachel Lack came to own her own dock and barge business next to Vauxhall Bridge, how Eleanor Coade ran a hugely successful artificial stone production company used by all the leading Georgian architects, and how the example of brilliantly talented ceramic artist Hannah Barlow persuaded Doulton’s Lambeth Art Pottery to employ over 200 women pottery designers by the early1880s.

Dr Jane Jordan is an expert in C19th women's history and a member of the Lambeth Tour Guides Association.

Information about the route: after meeting outside Vauxhall Station we will walk up the Albert Embankment as far as Black Prince Road. We then turn into Vauxhall Walk which takes us back to the original site of the Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens (behind Vauxhall Station). This is a step-free walking tour, but if anyone has mobility issues please do let me know. Please allow up to 2 hours for the tour which starts and ends outside Vauxhall Station.

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

Vauxhall Railway Station, South Lambeth Road, London, United Kingdom