In 1912, 8 Claremont (now Scoffers Kebab House) was the Hastings’s Suffragette Headquarters. Women’s Voice invite you to meet there this Sunday to start a short tour through Trinity Triangle remembering the town’s suffragette heritage.

Women’s Voice invite you to celebrate Women’s History month

On Sunday 13 March, at 11.45am, Women’s Voice will gather at The Common Room, 27–29 Cambridge Road, for an event marking women’s suffrage. The event marks the end of the Suffrage Voices project and is also in honour of Women’s History month. Megan Cronin invites you to join Hastings Women’s Voice.

Like the suffragettes before us, you will be invited to partake of tea, coffee and cake – and hand massages will also be on offer to soothe our hard-working women-folk! There will be a reading of a suffragette speech by Councillor Sabina Arthur, and you’ll be invited to join in with some suffragette chants. SHE Choir will also share some some 21st century songs with us. Women’s Voice officers Kirsty Grennan and Megan Cronin will also speak about the history and future of Women’s Voice.

Local suffragette and Titanic survivor Elsie Bowerman photographed ‘soliciting subscriptions from passers-by’ for the suffrage cause during a Self-Denial Week.

A historic precendent

Cambridge Road and the Trinity Triangle were a hotspot for suffragette activity, with a branch of the Women’s Social and Political Union being housed here. Former chair and current trustee of Women’s Voice, Ann Kramer (who also wrote Turbulent Spinsters, a book about the local women’s suffrage campaign) says we ‘must not ignore how active other areas of Hastings and St Leonards were as well’ citing Havelock Road – where the Suffrage Club was – Wellington Square and the seafront as prominent spots of suffrage activity.

In 1918, only property-owning women had won the right to vote; it must be acknowledged that much of the suffrage movement did obscure many voices based on class and race. It wasn’t until 1928 that all women gained the right to vote, giving women as a class a political voice. They finally were granted their right to have a say in decisions that would affect their lives.

So, we have the right to vote now. Why bother thinking about the suffragettes? I asked Ann why it was still important to look at their campaign. She said: ‘because it was such a battle’… she says it reflected the degree of misogyny that existed and continues to demonstrate how hard women have to fight to achieve rights. The movement also keeps ‘raising the question of law breaker or law-abiding (still relevant today) and it demonstrates what can be achieved when women band together and fight collectively…’

The cover of the new map

And Ann adds another thought: ‘Another reason why it’s important to remember suffragettes, is that under the current Police Bill going through parliament, their protests would have been completely outlawed. It’s interesting what hindsight can do: today the suffragettes and their militant tactics are regarded as national treasures. Yet they were pilloried. Today would be exactly the same and yet, how many times at elections do we hear that it’s important to vote because women died to get the vote for us?’

The upcoming suffrage event hosted by Women’s Voice and funded by Heart of Hastings/Hastings Action Zone, will also launch a stunning new map showing the sites of women’s suffrage in and around the Trinity Triangle. This will be widely available at our event and will show the extent of historic interest the area has – also showing that it was a site for the suffragette’s militant tactics too!

Come along, wear purple, white and green (or full suffragette gear if you fancy it) and steep yourselves in the vibrant history of Hastings. Partnes and children are also welcome to attend.

Also in: 1067 & All That