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Birmingham Suffragettes & Northfield Library
Learn about the Birmingham women who fought to get the right the vote and the Northfield Carnegie library which was rebuilt after Suffragette direct action.
The story of women’s struggle for the vote often refers to the Pankhurst family, but women all over the country were invested, and took direct action, in the political fight for the vote. In Birmingham there were many women who as suffragists devoted their lives to the cause and suffragettes whose militant acts resulted in imprisonment and, often, force feeding. In this illustrated talk Dr Nicola Gauld will highlight the importance of Birmingham women in the national struggle for women’s right to vote.
The Suffragette talk will be followed by a talk about the history of Northfield Library, built in 1906 with Carnegie funding and rebuilt in 1914 after a Suffragette arson attack. The new Northfield Library was Birmingham’s first ‘open access’ library, requiring a new internal layout and design features. The talk about Northfield library will be presented by Irene de Boo, freelance heritage consultant.
The talks take place at Northfield Library, 77 Church Road, Northfield, B31 2LB.
Wheelchair access via the front side entrance please ring the bell and staff will open the doors. The event is taking place on the first floor there is a stair lift available for those unable to manage stairs
The talks are free to Birmingham Civic Society members and open to non-members and are part of the Society’s Heritage Trials Project, generously funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund and the W A Cadbury Charitable Trust.
