hill hill december august english social reformer main concern welfare inhabitants cities especially london second half nineteenth century born family strong commitment poverty grew circumstances owing financial failure father formal schooling worked age welfare working people hill moving force development social housing early friendship enabled theories practice aid initial investment believed self reliance key housing system assistants knew tenants personally encouraged better opposed municipal provision housing believing bureaucratic hill concerns availability open spaces poor people campaigned development existing suburban woodlands helped save london parliament built founders set preserve places historic interest natural beauty enjoyment british public founder member charity organised charitable grants pioneered home visiting service formed basis modern social work member poor laws hill legacy includes large holdings modern housing projects run lines tradition training housing managers museum established birthplace biography early years hill daughter corn merchant follower banker wife widowed twice children daughters son previous marriages impressed writings education daughter pioneer reform engaged caroline children married years born father eighth daughter ninth child family comfortably prosperous life disrupted financial problems mental collapse declared bankrupt father gave family financial support took hill paternal role health welfare reformer concerned range social issues including child labour mines housing urban poor held similar views social reform interest progressive education influenced daily experience work london hospital east end inspired hill concern early victorian london received formal schooling mother educated family home family settled small cottage north london suburb village hill impressed moved london labour london poor book portrayed daily lives strongly influenced theologian anglican priest social reformer family friend began work behalf london poor helping toys serving secretary women classes central london operative guild providing employment distressed accepted hill training glass painting work guild expanded provide work toy making ragged school children invited age charge following year began working spare time guild art gallery deeply aware living conditions children charge guild views encouraging self reliance led association described hill biographer contentious body dependence fostered philanthropy support poor carefully targeted efficiently supervised later life began think line harsh hill short like family indifferent fashion friend wrote small stature long body short legs dress wore clothes soft abundant hair regular features beauty face lay brown eyes lifted upwards spoke matter cared mouth large mobile improved laughter miss passionate spoke hill streak called hill later hill life encountered meeting wrote spoke half hour beating life housing poor parliament concerned attempting improve housing working classes early 1830s hill began work model dwelling movement existence years royal select committees sat examine problems urban legislation aimed improving working class housing passed hill point view failed members working class labourers found routinely ignored obligations tenants tenants ignorant oppressed better tried find new homes charges severe shortage available property hill decided solution landlord interested operative guild knew hill work impressed humanitarian brutal having inherited substantial sum money father acquired cottages rooms placed houses state dirt neglect hill management told investors attracted schemes cent annual return secured acquired houses hill manage times recorded houses faced bit ground occupied dilapidated repairs cleaning carried waste land turned playground trees planted improved properties let intermittent low return cent capital obtained promised excess cent properties benefit tenants rent tolerated bad debts minimal hill said extreme collecting strict determination shall paid regularly accomplished consequence management hill able attract new housing schemes tenants hill system based closely managing buildings tenants insisted deal people houses separately maintained close personal contact tenants strongly opposed bureaucratic organisations governmental intervention housing view municipal socialism housing led demolition housing schemes destruction communities housing management heart hill system weekly visit collect rent outset hill conceived job women assistants including combined weekly rent collection checking detail premises getting know tenants personally acting early social workers hill believed voluntary workers necessity better paid workers sufficient numbers later found maintain paid workforce system required large staff rent collected monday tuesday wednesday rent accounts balanced arrangements contractors repairs pursued contractors paid new tenants moves organised hill assistants spare time normal working hours frequent voluntary hours working promote tenants associations work children school clubs societies hill created detachment independent unit gave training military lines local boys hill considered organisation like real thing existing outfits attractive young men passed age believe invited serving officer set company popularity numbers capped cadets hill principles summed article man refuses exert external help worse useless outspoken critic principles outdoor relief system poor relief operated poor law boards systems encourage recipients work regarded use public funds methods personal responsibility encouraged insisted dealing promptly appointed reliable took references prospective tenants visited homes paid careful attention placing tenants regard size families size location accommodation offered rules properly enforced american admirer described ruling little kingdom thousand loving subjects iron roses hill drove associates hard drove harder collapsed break months work number causes chronic lack delegation death close friend failure brief engagement attack hill family found companion took great everyday work caused hill collapse remained companion hill death building cottage hill near kent breaks work london open spaces hill concerns tenants urban workers access open spaces believed life enhancing virtues pure earth clean air blue sky wrote need poor london prominently forces notice working space best given precisely given think want things places sit places play places places spend day preservation shows need increasingly recognised visit windsor means cost journey loss day wages want places long summer evenings saturday afternoon enjoyed effort expense campaigned hard building existing suburban woodlands helped save development use term green belt protected rural areas surrounding london hills kent hill toys hill helped protect development form belt hill treasurer founded year eldest sister society beauty slogan bring beauty home poor aimed bring art books music open spaces lives urban poor short period flourished expanded declined years template years later hill engaged campaign stop construction railways overlooking damaging effect scenery campaign led secured support hill sir solicitor onwards hunter hill legal adviser protection open spaces london building idea forward conceived trust buy preserve places natural beauty historic interest nation november hill hunter met offices agreed launch trust hill suggested called gardens trust agreed adopt hunter suggested title formal title natural beauty inaugurated following year trust concerned primarily protecting open spaces endangered buildings historic interest property nature reserve later years number homes managed hill continued grow turned bout mental instability found new supporter handed management housing estates poor areas south london end nineteenth century hill women workers longer unpaid volunteers trained professionals hill influence spread properties control ideas taken copied enthusiastic support continental europe united_states_of_america said aware meaning poverty poor staying sister rent collector hill queen victoria daughter princess alice taken tour hill properties translated hill homes london poor german hill trained assistant secretary later engaged commissioners run new housing estates london hill lines local authorities despite hill distrust followed model earliest examples municipal council housing run lines acquisition working class houses gradual improvement despite opposition interference national local government provision housing hill cope newly created involvement council local authorities providing housing poor royal commission housing working classes set prime minister ministerial colleagues vetoed proposal include hill members commission municipal authorities quickly surpassed number properties management notes 1880s hill worth property management end career managing dwellings thousand people contrast budget programme london poor hill opposed reforms came early twentieth century female suffrage grounds men women help different different gifts different spheres believed provision social services old age government harm good people self reliance hill died cancer august home age legacy memorials portrait presented fellow workers hill speech said gone hope friends try carry special system follow track new circumstances require efforts spirit dead form shall leave houses improved new better ones built certain thoughtful loving management open spaces said important quick eye true soul measure large hope grasp mighty issues new better days come greater ideals greater hope patience realize founded hill model subsequent housing associations developed present trust bears today owns homes including cottages designed worked hill years hill determination provide community space seen shape red_cross site website states community hall maintained attractive houses hill anticipated fundamental ingredients town planning years creating integrated mixed communities rich poor grew directly hill work colleagues founded hall university sponsored settlement later called continues serve local communities overseas hill philadelphia small property company founded provide affordable housing low middle income city residents women trained hill formed later changed merging society present day professional body working housing profession overseas training hill gave volunteers contributed development modern social work continued instrumental developing social work profession twentieth century operation today charity parliament passed national trust act trust permanent purpose giving powers protect property benefit nation trust looks wide range coast countryside historic buildings according trust website staff volunteers tenants engaged daily providing access open spaces people enjoyment providing habitats wildlife improving environment hill include monument surrey beauty spot summit hill called ball owned shortly death family erected stone seat enjoy views surrey countryside set promote awareness ideas ideals hill family fellow workers relevance today society nationally internationally society auspices birthplace turned mark centenary new variety rose hill named honour
Octavia Hill