Lily
Montagu
(1873-1963), with Maud Stanley, is one of the key figures in the development of
girls clubs and work with young women. Her contribution was fourfold. First, she
was committed worker with young people. As a young woman (19) in 1893 she set up
the club with her cousin in two rooms at 71 Dean Street W1 (the club was later
to move to 8 Frith Street, then 8 Dean Street). The character of her work can be
gauged from her own comments: ‘A club worker must enter on her career in the
learning spirit. She must not attempt to foist her standards on the girls among
whom she intends to work. She must study their standards, and exchange her point
of view with theirs’ (Montagu 1954: 24). She placed an emphasis on sharing the
government of the club with members; and on educational endeavours. The later
included discussions around various moral questions, citizenship, and
citizenship. There was also a flourishing drama group. Second, Montagu placed a
particular emphasis on campaigning and working for the improvement of young
women’s working conditions - and this she carried into the political arena via
organisations such as the Women’s Industrial Council. Third, she was central to
the formation and development of the National Organization of Girls Club (later
to become Youth Clubs UK). Last, she has left several important additions to the
literature of youth work - including the account of her work at West Central (Montagu
1904; 1954).
In 1919 Lily Montagu and her sister set up the West Central Club and Settlement in Alfred Place (the site is now occupied by a rather undistinguished office building - Remax House used by University College Department of Economics). Tragically, on the night of April 16, 1941 the building was hit in an air raid and completely demolished. 27 lives were claimed. The club then occupied 5 different premises in ten years before moving into premises in Hand Court, Holborn WC1.
Read her classic piece The girl in the background.
For a full biography see Lily Montagu by Jean Spence.
Montagu, L. (1904) 'The Girl in the Background' in E. J. Urwick (ed.) Studies in Boy Life in our Cities, London: Dent.
Montagu, L. (1954) My Club and I, London: Neville Spearman and Herbert Joseph.
Note: This page is part of our virtual walk around the history of informal education (in central London).
Walking for real: If you would like to do the informal education walk for real then why not join us on our next scheduled walk. It's free! Follow the link for joining details.
© Mark K. Smith 1997. First published August 7, 1997. Last update: October 01, 2008
