History
It was founded in 1888 by Agnes Garrett to provide single-sex accommodation for professional women
The first recorded meeting of directors was held on 27 March 1888 at Agnes and Rhoda Garrett’s house, 2 Gower Street (Elizabeth Crawford, Enterprising Women: The Garretts and their Circle, 2002)
Architect J. M. Brydon was hired to build dwellings in Chenies Street; , he had had employed Agnes and Rhoda Garrett as his apprentices
A temporary notice board for the Ladies' Residential Chambers was erected at the Garretts’ warehouse in Morwell Street (Elizabeth Crawford, Enterprising Women: The Garretts and their Circle, 2002)
The building on Chenies Street was opened by Millicent Fawcett on 20 May 1889 (Elizabeth Crawford, Enterprising Women: The Garretts and their Circle, 2002)
It was so successful that in 1896 Brydon was asked to draw up plans to extend the Chambers along Huntley Street, so increasing the number of sets of rooms from 22 to 37
The building was damaged by bombing during the Second World War
It was rebuilt by Camden Council in 1947 and its entrance moved to the former “Tradesmen’s Entrance” in Huntley Street
Its original appearance can be seen in an illustration in the Builder, 9 November 1889; the rebuilding took away some of its flourishes and finer detailing
Its tenants are no longer required to be single professional women
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What was reforming about it?
It was a form of assistance for women who wished to remain unmarried and pursue professional careers
Its founders envisaged a community of like-minded individuals
It was almost the first institution of its kind; a rival, the Ladies’ Associated Dwellings Company, opened its block of flats at 52 Lower Sloane Street a month earlier, in January 1888
(Elizabeth Crawford, Enterprising Women: The Garretts and their Circle, 2002)
Where in Bloomsbury
The first meeting of the organisation was held at 2 Gower Street
Its first major building project was the set of chambers at 9 Chenies Street (1889)
Nos 3, 5, and 7 Huntley Street were acquired and the building substantially extended (also by Brydon) in 1896–1897, increasing the number of sets of rooms from 22 to 37; at the same time, a new dining room was added in the basement
Website of current institution
Chenies Street Chambers has its own Historical Society, Chenies Street Chambers Historical Society, currently at www.purplepoets.com/chenies.html (opens in new window)
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Chenies Street Chambers
Books about it
There is a good account of the Society, its buildings, and their residents in Elizabeth Crawford, Enterprising Women: The Garretts and their Circle (2002)
Archives
A few records of the Ladies’ Dwellings Company and the opening of the Chenies Street Chambers are contained within the Millicent Garrett Fawcett papers in Manchester Archives and Local Studies, ref. M50/5/34/1-6; details are available online via Access to Archives (opens in new window)
The minutes of the Ladies’ Residential Chambers Ltd are held in Westminster Archives, ref. Acc 975; further details are available online via the Westminster Archives website (opens in new window)
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