History of Kilburn and West Hampstead

Lena Connell was an important photographer of the women’s suffragette movement in the early 20th century. Her father Frederick Henry Connell (1839-1911) was a watchmaker specializing in high-class chronometers, before becoming a photographer. At the time of his marriage to Catherine Scrivener in July 1868 he was living at 17 Tavistock Street in Marylebone.  Lena was born as Adelin Beatrice Connell on 27 July 1875 at 29 Southampton Row where her father was working for Messrs Roblin and Sons, French Clock makers. By 1882 the family were at 41 Lorne Road in Finsbury Park. Two years later Connell had moved to 83 Kilburn High Road as a watchmaker and jeweller. He was still there in 1887.  Frederick took up photography, and in 1891 the family were living in 69 Abbey Road. The census that year shows Frederick as a photographer, with two daughters helping him: Dora, 17, was a photographic re-toucher and Adelin aged 15, was a photographic assistant.    69 Abbey Road (Dick Wei...

Eager to spread their message of ‘Votes for Women’, the Woman’s Social & Political Union (WSPU) took prompt action after finding out that it was possible to post ‘human letters’. It arranged with a Daily Mirror photographer and reporter to wait outside 10 Downing Street on 23 February 1909. That day Daisy Solomon and Elspeth McClelland were ‘posted’ for 3d from the Strand Post Office to 10 Downing Street. A messenger boy called A S Palmer accompanied them as they walked from the Strand to the front door of Number 10. They were refused entrance to see Prime Minister Herbert Asquith, but the messenger was allowed inside. The women waited on the pavement, saying ‘they must be delivered as the postage had been paid’. The boy emerged, accompanied by a government official who dismissed the ladies’ argument, saying that they would be returned as ‘dead letters’, in other words they were undeliverable. Daisy and Elspeth left, to walk to the WSPU head office in Clement’s Inn. When the Dail...