For the last couple of centuries Brighton and Hove’s history has been defined by the Prince Regent and a noisy cast of male characters who followed him. Busying themselves in their shadows, however, were a host of women, quietly making history in all sorts of different and unique ways. Did you know, for example, that some of the first women doctors to practise in Britain worked in Brighton? Or that the first British woman to swim the Channel was born here? Or that the city was a hotbed of Suffragette activity? Or that, amongst the back-street tower-blocks, you might just stumble upon the first ever blue plaque awarded to a woman for services to witchcraft? This illustrated talk will tell the stories of local women who made great strides – and even changed the world – in areas as diverse as policing, fashion, the Law and entertainment.
Louise Peskett is the author of ‘The Fearless and the Fabulous, a Journey through Brighton and Hove’s Women’s History’. She leads guided tours around the city’s women’s history and talks about pioneering women of East and West Sussex for Women’s Institutes, U3A groups and more. She has given guided tours of the Royal Pavilion and other local museums since 2001.
For the last couple of centuries Brighton and Hove’s history has been defined by the Prince Regent and a noisy cast of male characters who followed him. Busying themselves in their shadows, however, were a host of women, quietly making history in all sorts of different and unique ways. Did you know, for example, that some of the first women doctors to practise in Britain worked in Brighton? Or that the first British woman to swim the Channel was born here? Or that the city was a hotbed of Suffragette activity? Or that, amongst the back-street tower-blocks, you might just stumble upon the first ever blue plaque awarded to a woman for services to witchcraft? This illustrated talk will tell the stories of local women who made great strides – and even changed the world – in areas as diverse as policing, fashion, the Law and entertainment. 