My Lizzie, Quinn Square, Bethnal Green

My 2 x Great Aunt Elizabeth Maud Dean was born on 29th December 1899 in Bethnal Green. She married Samuel Bennett in July 1921 they had 3 children.

Elizabeth was part of the Quinn Square Bethnal Green rent strike in August 1938 were working class women like herself organised the strike in reaction to a landlord stating that a female tenant owed arrears and he attempted the eviction of the female tenant. However in actual fact it became clear that the female tenant was actually being overcharged, and not only this female tenant in particular but it was the the case for around 70 to 90 controlled rents.

Quinn Square was a block in Russia Lane Bethnal Green which contained 246 flats which were six stories high. The flats consisted of anything from one room up to four rooms. There was no running water or lavatory inside the flats. The tenants had to share in most cases, it was one lavatory between two families and one tap between four families.
Repairs were desperately needed like most places in the east end.
Inside the flats there were damp walls, falling ceilings and in many cases fire stoves broken and dangerous, no cupboards to put clothing or food in. On the stairs there were many broken handrails and steps, there were lavatory doors with no locks, the wash houses on the roof were in such a bad state it was impossible to use them which led most tenants to use the council wash houses at York Hall or send it to the laundry.

The women came out in solidarity in true East End fashion and were truly indestructible refusing to pay their rent. The women stood up for better conditions and lower rents and fought for the rights of the working classes. Pickets were deployed every day by women who nailed posters to broomsticks, large banners were made and led impromptu demos. They also stood outside the estate office from morning until night.

Despite the strike being labelled ‘ill-advised’ by the Hackney Gazette, after two weeks the tenants were successful and victory was theirs. The tenants received support from various working class organisations in the area.

This is what the tenants of Quinn Square won
1: recognition by the landlord of their association
2: Necessary repairs will be carried out
3: That no legal or other action will be taken by the landlord against any tenant without consulting the Tenants Association
4: Scales for maximum rents for decontrolled tenants which the landlord cannot charge:
A) 15s 9d for four rooms, which means an average reduction of 2s 3d per week in some cases a reduction of 4s 11d per week
B ) 12s for three rooms which means reduction of 2s
C) 9s for two rooms, which means reduction of 1s 4d per week
D) 5s 4d for one room which means a reduction of 8d per week

Local communist leader, Bob Graves, pronounced Quinn Square residents as the parents of a working class movement: “Once again the people of the East End of London have shown the way”. The strike was opposed by Oswald Moseley’s British Union of Fascists, who tried to help the landlords to break up the tenants meetings but the tenants fought back and showed them they were not wanted in Russia Lane.
The strikers' success encouraged further such strikes, elsewhere in London and in other British towns and cities.
I’m so proud and truly inspired that my Lizzie (2 x great aunt Elizabeth) was a part of this change for the working classes. I have included some photos of the formidable matriarchs of Quinn Square and Quinn Square itself.

#East-end #Matriarchs #power #standforyourrights #myfamily #myhistory #inspired #proud❤️💪🏻