Millicent Fawcett hits the airwaves (18/1/06)

Interest in Millicent Garrett Fawcett last week led BBC Radio 4 to investigate the history behind the central London hall named in her honour.

By delving into the story behind the building, the ‘Making History’ programme also examined the inspiring life of Millicent herself and the impact she had on the women’s suffrage movement.

As president of the National Union of Women’s Suffrage Societies (now of course the Fawcett Society), Millicent pragmatically campaigned within the law, making her less well known than the Pankhursts’ suffragette movement.

Described as a down to earth woman with a good sense of humour, Millicent included Radical MP and philosopher John Stuart Mill amongst her friends.

She died just months after women got the right to vote on an equal basis with men in 1929 and Millicent Fawcett Hall was built to commemorate her.

Intended as a building where women could air their feminist views, the hall featured Virginia Woolf and Dame Ethel Smythe amongst its first speakers.

The Fawcett Society still uses the venue for events such as the ‘Women in Politics’ discussion held in conjunction with the New Statesman magazine last April.

If you want to listen to the programme, use the link in the blue 'related sites' box on the right hand side of this page.