A Woman Lived Here: Alternative Blue Plaques, Remembering London's Remarkable Women

by Allison Vale

'A pretty awesome present for the feminist in your life' - Caroline Criado Perez, OBE, author of Do It Like a Woman

At the last count, the Blue Plaque Guide honours 903 Londoners, and a walking tour of these sites brings to life the London of a bygone era. But only 111 of these blue plaques commemorate women.

Over the centuries, London has been home to thousands of truly remarkable women who have made significant and lasting impacts on every aspect of modern from politics and social reform, to the Arts, medicine, science, technology and sport. Many of those women went largely unnoticed, even during their own lifetimes, going about their lives quietly but with courage, conviction, skill and compassion. Others were fearless, strident trail-blazers. Many lived in an era when their achievements were given a male name, clouding the capabilities of women in any field outside of the home or field.

A Woman Lived Here shines a spotlight on some of these forgotten women to redress the balance. The stories on these pages commemorate some of the most remarkable of London's women, who set out to make their world a little richer, and in doing so, left an indelible mark on ours.

Genres: Nonfiction, London, Feminism

228 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 18, 2018

Reviews

[Emma Dargue · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting book about some of the forgotten women who might be eligible for blue plaque as blue plaques are often awarded to white cisgendered men.

[Kim Howard · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved the premise of this book, but the quality of the content is really variable.

[Karine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Packed with the stories of incredible women that should be formally recognised

[Lisa Bentley · Rating 3 out of 5]

A Woman Lived Here is a non-fiction book focusing on the little blue plaques that adorn places of import in London. They signify that someone important lived at this address. This is a book with intent to highlight the many famous women (whose plaques are dramatically outnumbered by men) and how the contribution of women needs to be celebrated more. Vale highlights the disparity in numbers of these plaques whilst also reminding us to rejoice in the ones that we have.

A Woman Lived Here is only a little book, one I like to think of as a palette cleanser and you really are introduced to some fascinating women. It also highlights how sad it is and what a shame it is that there aren’t more women features in the blue plaque scheme.

Personally, I want to read more of these books. I want to know more about the women who shaped culture from Liverpool, Manchester, and Birmingham. I think Allison Vale needs to write more books of this ilk.

A Woman Lived Here by Allison Vale is available now.

[Isla Scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought this was fascinating. I enjoyed learning about all the different women who made contributions to society in their own ways and felt sad that their successes weren't fully recognised and appreciated at the time. Its interesting to read about what women were doing in the past, the different cultures and everything. The chapters are short and its a good book to dip in and out of. Not a challenging read, I'd definitely recommend it.

[Tracey Fawcett · Rating 5 out of 5]

If there were six/seven/twenty more volumes I would read them all! I love that these stories are finally being told, and it gives us a more accurate representation of women’s experiences through history. I’ve recommended this book to so many people. There’s something for everyone.

[D Cox · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wasn’t sure what to expect but this was a really interesting book. Some of these women were remarkable and there are a couple I’d like to learn more about. Recommended read.

[Natalie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book slowly, like two stories a day, and genuinely enjoyed it. I have my university finals in a week and at the beginning of my three-week long staying at home and studying, I did not want to commit to a proper, long book, because I was afraid it would draw me in and I would not learn anything. This was ideal, as every few pages created a separate unit. The stories were also inspirational - I could not believe what some of these women were able to achieve, especially given the period they lived in. Made me want to study and achieve something one day, too. Now I really want to read more books like this.