Latest news with #Suffragette
Daily Mail
5 days ago
- Daily Mail
Suffragette's horrifying account of being force fed pints of milk in prison after being jailed for London window-smashing campaign
The fascinating archive of two Suffragette sisters including their graphic accounts of going on hunger strike in prison has emerged for sale for £30,000. Frances and Margaret McPhun were both jailed after taking part in the window-smashing campaign in London in March 1912. They had travelled from their home in Glasgow to join other campaigners and were arrested and sentenced to two months hard labour. Both sisters, university graduates aged in their 40s, refused to eat and had to be forcibly fed, which they describe in shocking detail in letters from their time at Holloway Prison. The letters were smuggled out of prison by other suffragettes upon their release to inform the movement's leaders about the continued struggle. In one letter, Frances, the younger sister, tells of being held down in a chair as two pints of milk were poured down her throat. In another, she recounts how a fellow suffragette used her head as a battering ram to keep away a nurse trying to feed her by nasal tube. Frances wrote: 'The doctor and nurse rushed in, a sheet was thrown round me, and I was held down in a chair and two pints of milk were poured down my throat. 'Don't gasp with horror. '(Another suffragette) using her head as a battering ram she kept them at bay. 'The fat nurse reposed on her tummy, a wardress on each foot, the doctor supporting her head between his knees! 'One girl was hurt – her nose bled and she was unconscious for some minutes.' Margaret wrote to her brother Robert, describing her cell: 'A chair and plank bed... straw mattress... small window high up... The view is not inspiring, ...smoke and dust ascend like incense to my window.' Both sisters were awarded the Women's Social and Political Union (WSPU) Hunger Strike medal for 'Valour' for their defiance of authority. They returned to Scotland to carry on their activist lives, writing articles to promote the suffragette cause. The medals and letters have remained in the McPhun family for over 100 years but are now going under the hammer at auctioneers Bonhams, of Knightsbridge. There is also Margaret's presentation copy of Holloway Jingles, which she contributed the poem 'To A Fellow Prisoner' to. Sarah Lindberg, manuscripts specialist at Bonhams, said: 'The military-style medals, known as the 'Victoria Cross' of the suffragette movement, were awarded by the leaders of the WSPU to suffragettes who had undertaken hunger-strike whilst imprisoned for the cause. 'There is also a series of extraordinary letters from the sisters inside Holloway Prison describing at first hand the conditions experienced by Suffragettes and the harshness of forcible feeding. 'Railing at the unfairness of their punishment throughout the correspondence, the sisters remain angry and defiant. 'Most striking is the description by Frances of hunger strike and forcible feeding, believed by both sisters to be a necessary tool to achieve their aims, showing the bravery and fierce determination shown by their fellow inmates. 'The letters were smuggled out of Holloway Prison on scraps of paper by Suffragettes who were leaving prison so they are a rare survival. 'The items have come through the family so there is a very good provenance and we hope a Scottish institution may acquire them.' The suffragette movement was founded in 1903 and many campaigners were imprisoned before they were released to help with the First World War effort, which they did with distinction. In November 1918, months after the conflict ended, women over the age of 30, who met a property qualification, were given the right to vote. However, it would be another 10 years before this right was extended to all women over the age of 21 under the Equality of the Representation of the People Act. The sale takes place on June 19.
Time Out
12-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Time Out
London travel disruption this weekend: full list of tube and train closures for June 13-15
The weekend has rolled back around and, as ever, London is packed with stuff going on. Charli XCX will be at Vicky Park for the second weekend of LIDO, Little Simz' Meltdown festival at the Southbank Centre begins, the National History Museum has launched its first exhibition dedicated to outerspace and there's a Clown Fest in town. But this city is enormous. And if you've got any plans over the next few days, it's likely you're gonna need to take a train or two to get there. Often, though, TfL uses the weekends to carry out maintenance on lots of its lines and services. The last thing you want is to turn up at a station only to see the shutters down and have to completely rethink your journey. So, plan ahead. Here are all the cancellations, closures and reduced services and diversions happening across London's train network this weekend. Central line The Central line between Leytonstone and Epping will be shut for all of Sunday and the Saturday Night Tube. Jubilee line From 11pm on Friday and for the rest of the weekend, Jubilee trains won't stop at Southwark station. Elizabeth line On Sunday, you won't be able to get the Lizzie line from Paddington to Abbey Wood and Whitechapel until 9.50am. DLR line On Saturday and Sunday, there'll be no DLR services between Bank / Tower Gateway and Canning Town / Lewisham or between Stratford and Canary Wharf. You'll be able to get a replacement bus instead. Overground Mildmay There'll be less services on the Mildmay line between Shepherd's Bush and Clapham Junction on Sunday – you can expect a Mildmay or Southeastern train every 15 minutes. There'll also be no Mildmay trains running between Gospel Oak and Richmond / Shepherds Bush. Suffragette Trains will only start running along the Suffragette line between Gospel Oak and Barking Riverside at 10am on Sunday. Then, from 10am there will be no Suffragette services between Barking and Barking Riverside and reduced service between Gospel Oak and Barking, with trains running every 20 minutes. Windrush On Saturday and Sunday, there won't be any Windrush trains between Surrey Quays and Crystal Palace / West Croydon. If you're travelling between Wandsworth Road and Clapham Junction on Sunday, you'll have to use local buses or Southern trains as Windrush services will be diverted divert to/from Battersea Park after Wandsworth Road. Southern Rail There won't be any Southern services between London Bridge and Crystal Palace / East Croydon (via Forest Hill) on Saturday or Sunday. You'll have to hop on a replacement bus instead.
Time Out
28-04-2025
- Time Out
London travel disruption this week: full list of TfL tube and train closures for April 28-May 1
April is almost up, the sun is shining down on London and there are not one, but two four-day work weeks to look forward to in the not-so-distant future. Life is good. The city really springs to life around this time of year, with tonnes of exciting events and festivals going on (see Time Out's pick of the best stuff happening over on our monthly guide). But one thing that never changes? Our commutes. Whatever time of year it is, London transport is always bound to face disruption, whether that's down to planned engineering work or unexpected staff shortages or signal failures. So, these are all of the Transport for London delays, alterations and disruptions to be aware of as you commute to work or travel to your evening plans this week. Central line Passengers have been warned of 'severe delays' across the entire Central line on Monday and Tuesday due to a signal failure at Bethnal Green. Overground Mildmay line From Monday to Thursday, the Mildmay westbound line between Stratford and Camden Road will be shut after 11.45pm. On Wednesday and Thursday, the eastbound line from Willesden Junction to Stratford will close after 11pm. Windrush line The Windrush line from New Cross Gate to Crystal Palace and West Croydon will stop running after 11.30pm from Monday through to Thursday. Suffragette line From Monday to Friday, the 11.03pm Suffragette train from Barking Riverside will terminate at Upper Holloway instead of Gospel Oak. Stations Bank (DLR) Due to planned maintenance work, there's no down escalator in service between the District line at Monument and the DLR at Bank until August 15. Blackhorse Road (Victoria line) If you're getting on at Blackhorse Road station, be aware that there's no down escalator service to the Victoria line until July. You'll need to use the stairs instead. Canning Town (Jubilee line, DLR) There's a reduced escalator service going to and from the platforms for the Jubilee line and DLR. Passengers can use the stairs or alternative escalators instead. Charing Cross (Bakerloo line) The Bakerloo line ticket hall at Charing Cross will be temporarily closed until the autumn while improvement works take place. TfL says those wishing to use the Bakerloo line should use the entrance on Strand, next to the National Rail station. Green Park (Jubilee line) There's no step-free access to or from the Jubilee line at Green Park station until August. You're best off travelling via Westminster and Victoria using the Victoria line to/from Green Park. Highgate (Northern line) TfL recommends that people trying to get to Highgate might find it easier to get off the tube at Archway and complete their journey by bus. That's because the escalator at Highgate station from the ticket hall to Archway Road remains closed for ongoing maintenance works. Shepherd's Bush (Central line) From Wednesday, 19 March to late August, there will be no down escalator at Shepherd's Bush Central line station. Passengers will have to use the 70-step staircase down to the platform instead. Surrey Quays Rail (Windrush line) Keep in mind that the doors of the last carriage of the trains won't open on the southbound platform of Surrey Quays restaurant station due to station improvement work. Tower Gateway (DLR)
Glasgow Times
24-04-2025
- Glasgow Times
London Tube closures April 25 - 27: List of TfL closures
As with most weekends, some stations will be closed or partly closed for TfL to carry out essential work. We've broken down a list of all the work on the London Underground, Overground and Elizabeth Line this weekend to ensure you don't get caught out and can plan ahead. To get the most up-to-date stats for the Underground, you can use the TfL app or website. Welcome to the @GoogleUK Tube Challenge – we hope you have a pleasant journey! 🚇 Tap in with Google Pay each day to earn digital station badges, and for a chance to win a Google Pixel 9 phone or Santander Cycles Day Passes. Find out more 👇 — TfL (@TfL) March 31, 2025 Friday, April 25: Suffragette: Wednesday 23, Thursday 24 and Friday 25 April, the 0618 Barking Riverside to Gospel Oak train starts at Barking, platform 1, at 0624. Saturday, April 26: Waterloo and City: The service operates between 0600 and 0030, Monday to Friday only. There is no service on Saturdays, Sundays, or bank/public holidays. Sunday, April 27: DLR: Sunday 27 April, London Marathon Day. A modified service will operate during the London Marathon until 16:00. Cutty Sark station will be entry only. For exit to Greenwich town centre, please use Greenwich station. Services from Tower Gateway will operate to Lewisham, starting earlier at 05:30 with all other services starting at 07:00. Trains to and from Beckton will terminate at Poplar. Trains to and from Woolwich Arsenal will operate to and from Stratford International only. Usual services will operate on the remaining routes but will be busier than normal. Recommended Reading Elizabeth line: Sunday 27 April, a reduced service operates between Paddington and Heathrow Terminal 4 / Maidenhead. No trains will serve Acton Main Line, West Ealing and Hanwell. Waterloo & City: Service operates between 06:00 and 00:30, Monday to Friday only. There is no service on Saturdays, Sundays and on bank/public holidays.
The Guardian
19-04-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
On my radar: Romola Garai's cultural highlights
Born in Hong Kong in 1982, actor Romola Garai grew up in Singapore and Wiltshire. She has starred in films including Atonement and Suffragette, and TV series The Hour and The Miniaturist. Her directorial debut, the horror film Amulet, was released in 2020. Last year Garai portrayed Annie Ernaux in Eline Arbo's adaptation of The Years at the Almeida theatre, later transferring to the Harold Pinter theatre, for which she won best actress in a supporting role at the 2025 Olivier awards. Now she stars alongside Ivanno Jeremiah and Jamelia in new BBC Three comedy drama, Just Act Normal, available on iPlayer. She's Always Hungry by Eliza Clark I'm not usually a fan of the short story – I often find them not very fulfilling. But I really like Eliza Clark as a writer, so I was excited to read these. The stories are great and very funny: there's such weird and dark humour in them. There's one story particularly, called The King, which is about an alien living in the body of an ad executive. And at the end of the world they form a new civilisation. It's a really witty pastiche on gender relations, and quite horrific, but extremely enjoyable. Vollmond, Sadler's Wells I saw this about a month ago. I'm a huge fan of Pina Bausch and I always try to go when her company, Tanztheater Wuppertal, is performing. I'd not seen this piece before, and the dancing in it was unbelievably daring. There's a whole section at the end where the stage is full of water and the dancers have to run backwards and forwards through it. Quite a few of the dancers fell over – it's amazing to see people who are so committed to what they're doing that they're putting themselves in physical danger to achieve it. Say It Like You Mean It by Sleater-Kinney This song does something weird to me. I quite often play it when I'm running, and then I start running really fast, like I'm chasing a mugger. It makes me feel intensely euphoric. It's a really sad song – Carrie Brownstein lost her mum in a car accident in 2022, so it's about grief and saying goodbye – but very beautiful. I've loved Sleater-Kinney for many years. All the music I like is sad – I don't like any upbeat music. But this song is incredibly purifying in its expression of grief. Yellowjackets The glut of television makes it hard to find things I really want to watch, but this show has struck me profoundly. It's about a group of women who go through an unbelievably extreme experience early on together, and it looks at the way they recover from trauma. They try to rationalise it, react against it, commodify the experience. It's truthful and brilliant. There's a scene in which one of the younger actresses, Sophie Nélisse, gives birth in the wilderness – it's a feat of acting. I don't understand why they haven't all won the top acting awards. The Rest Is History – The French RevolutionI'm a big history geek so I love this podcast. It's like you're sitting around a campfire. They're very good at bringing history to life in a vivid way. The one they recently did about the French Revolution was just incredible, particularly the ones on Marie Antoinette and what happened to her. They talk about revolution, and what happens to ideas when they're co-opted by the worst kinds of people, and excesses of ideology. When an ideology takes over, it's never really about the idea – the idea is to end up in charge. Abney Park Cemetery, Stoke Newington, London Abney Park Cemetery is a mysterious and beautiful place that's been allowed to go somewhat wild. We have lots of lovely parks in London, but not that many wild places. You can walk around and hear woodpeckers and it feels very much like it's part of nature. Because it's full of trees, you see the passing of the seasons amazingly. And you can read the headstones – your brain is constantly whirring, thinking about all the titbits you get. There's one that I love where it says: 'Died in an accident.' And always, I'm like: 'What accident?' Le Cottage Bise, France We stayed in this hotel on the shores of Lake Annecy in a town called Talloires. It's been there since the turn of the last century. In the morning, when you have breakfast, you sit on a terrace which looks up at the Alps. Then you can walk 50 feet and just get into the lake and swim. The lake is like Evian water – it's the most unbelievably beautiful water to swim in. They have kayaks and pedalos. It's one of the nicest places I've ever been.
