WORKING WOMEN’S CLASSES AND ART TRAINING. 1856–1858 80
MILTON STREET, DORSET SQUARE. DECEMBER, 1858—APRIL, 1861 127
NOTTINGHAM PLACE SCHOOL. BEGINNING OF HOUSING WORK. 1860–1870 188
1870–1875. GROWING PUBLICITY OF OCTAVIA’S WORK 256
1878–1881. FOREIGN TRAVELS. MANAGEMENT OF HER WORK AT HOME 354
1881–1889. APPOINTMENT BY THE ECCLESIASTICAL COMMISSIONERS 440
FURTHER PROGRESS IN HOUSING AND OPEN SPACE WORK. 1890–1902 505
OCTAVIA HILL. From a Photograph, enlarged by an American artist _Frontispiece_
WISBEACH IN 1840. House on right side of bridge where Octavia was born, December 3rd, 1838 3
OCTAVIA HILL AS A CHILD. From an Oil Painting by Margaret Gillies 13
DR. SOUTHWOOD SMITH. Grandfather of Octavia Hill. From a Chalk Drawing by Margaret Gillies 172
CAROLINE SOUTHWOOD HILL. Octavia’s Mother. From a Photograph by Andrew Whelpdale 326
MIRANDA HILL. From a Photograph by Maull and Fox 340
OCTAVIA HILL. From a Drawing by Edward Clifford, 1877 357
SOUTHWARK. Red Cross Cottages and Garden. Opened June, 1887 454
OCTAVIA HILL. From an Oil Painting by Sargent. Presented to her in 1898 506
Early in the nineteenth century Mr. James Hill was carrying on in Peterborough a business as corn merchant which his father had made very successful, and to which was added a banking business. Later on he removed to Wisbeach with his brother Thomas. James Hill showed much of his father’s business capacity, though sometimes carried away by an oversanguine temperament. Both his ability and his hopefulness were to be put to a severe test, when in 1825 England suffered from a general banking panic, and Mr. Hill failed in company with other bankers of greater note. But he roused himself to meet the emergency, and to a great extent retrieved his fortunes, for a time.
His troubles, however, were increased in 1832 by the loss of his second wife; and, as a widower with six children, he found himself in an anxious and difficult position. He had always been a very affectionate husband and father; and he was most desirous to find some one who would help him in the care of his children. While thinking over this problem, his attention was attracted by some articles on education, which had lately appeared in _The Monthly Repository_; with these articles he was so much impressed that he obtained from the Editor the name and address of the writer. She proved to be Miss Caroline Southwood Smith, the daughter of Dr. Southwood Smith, the celebrated Sanitary Reformer.