In 1912 the women of Britain were in the throes of an awakening. Thanks to the fearless and feisty efforts of Emmeline Pankhurst and her daughters, and of Millicent Fawcett, the ladies of London and beyond were starting to realise the extent of the discrimination against them, in particular with regard to the vote.
The 2015 film Suffragette tells the story of a young married woman, Maud Watts (Carey Mulligan) who finds herself drawn into the struggle, with Meryl Streep putting in an appearance as Emmeline Pankhurst. Much of the action takes place in London, however, not all the scenes were filmed in London.
Maud works at a laundry in Bethnal Green, a grim working environment with a misogynistic boss who is not above seeking sexual favours from female employees, some of them very young. The exterior of the laundry building was filmed at Chatham Historic Dockyard in Kent, while the interior scenes were built at an educational establishment called the Highfield Oval in Harpenden, Hertfordshire. In those days it was common for factory workers to live in purpose-built housing, and the red-brick tenements where Maud’s family live are on the Boundary Estate, Shoreditch.
In one scene, Maud is seen venturing to London’s West End, where she witnesses an attack on the shop fronts. The West End is generally regarded as the area in Central London where the main shopping and entertainment areas are, but in the film it is the area known as Cornhill, a few hundred metres to the east of St Paul’s Cathedral, which is used to represent the West End. The district falls within the City of London, the oldest part of the city. It developed into the city’s financial centre, and the Bank of England can still be found nearby, on Threadneedle Street, while the Royal Exchange, a trading centre first established in Elizabethan times, is now a shopping centre. The shop coming under attack in the West End scene is at Smythson, 7 Royal Exchange Buildings.
London Royal Exchange. Photo by ÁWá, via Wikimedia Commons.
The most recognisable part of London seen in the film is Westminster, with Big Ben appearing in the scene in which Maud heads to the Palace of Westminster to give testimony before a Parliamentary committee tasked with looking into the question of women’s suffrage. The Central Lobby with its distinctive octagonal shape features in the interior scenes depicting the committee’s enquiries, with Committee Room 16 acting as the scene of the hearing.
London - The Parliament - 2773. Photo by Jorge Royan, via Wikimedia Commons.
Ruthin Gaol - courtyard. Photo by Arwel Parry, via Wikimedia Commons.
These are just some of the chapters of the story of Maud and her fellow suffragettes, but before we go there is one final location which was used in the explosive and tragic scene where Maud’s friend Emily Davison (Natalie Press) throws herself under a galloping racehorse, resulting in her death and martyrdom for the suffragette cause. The real-life event took place at Epsom Racecourse, but Royal Windsor Racecourse stood in for Epsom in the film.
Chatham Historic Dockyard is open to the public, and the attractions there include visits to historic ships and a Victorian Ropery. The Boundary Estate is just to the east of the A10, adjacent to Hackney. The Royal Exchange shopping centre has a range of upscale dining options as well as some big name high end boutiques. The Palace of Westminster is open to visitors, who can take a tour or watch debates and committees.
Ruthin Gaol is beside the River Clwyd in this historic Welsh town, and has received the Visit Wales Hidden Gem award three times. Lincoln’s Inn Fields is in the Holborn area of Central London, near the Holborn Underground Station. Myddelton Square lies just south of the A501, to the west of Sadler’s Wells Theatre. Royal Windsor Racecourse lies by the side of the A308 at the western edge of Windsor, Berkshire.
