Hill, Octavia
Hill, Octavia
- Malcolm PayneMalcolm PayneManchester Metropolitan University, Emeritus
Summary
Octavia Hill (1838–1912) was an important 19th century English public figure and social reformer, a social entrepreneur renowned worldwide for her system of housing management, which she transposed into ideas influencing early social casework practice within the London Charity Organisation Society and more widely, especially in the United States. She campaigned for working people and people in poverty to have access to open spaces and the countryside, becoming one of three founders of the National Trust, which preserves valuable historic buildings and landscapes. She opposed government responsibility for housing and social welfare, leading her to espouse centering social work in charitable organizations. This conflicted with influential Fabian thought, which was progressing toward significant state pension and social provision.
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Subjects
- Biographies