There was a fantastic turnout for the unveiling of a plaque honouring Charlotte Despard on Wednesday, in the heart of Embassy Gardens, Nine Elms. Despard, known as ‘the Mother of Battersea’, lived in a house on Currie Street from the early 1890s until she moved to Ireland in 1921. Her house was in the middle of the small and desperately poor Ponton estate, known colloquially as ‘the Island’, located on the site of today’s U.S. Embassy. Despard used her wealth to improve the lives of local people. She employed a nurse and opened her home as a clinic, as well as running a soup kitchen from there and a club for local boys. A committed pacifist, Charlotte Despard also joined the struggle for women’s suffrage and was a founder of the Women’s Freedom League. I find her a true inspiration and love her statement ‘Believe in discontent’.
For decades, another inspiring Battersea woman, Jeanne Rathbone, has been on a mission to have Despard’s legacy visibly acknowledged in Battersea/Nine Elms. In the early 1970s the house Despard had lived in, and which she left to the local community when she relocated to Ireland, was demolished, along with the rest of the Ponton Estate. Now at last there is a plaque in place that honours this amazing woman, funded by the Irish development company Ballymore. Jeanne is great at making connections, and one of the most important ones in this context was her meeting with Ballymore founder and CEO Sean Mulryan, in response to a letter Jeanne sent, which somehow made it onto his desk.
Musicians from World Heart Beat Academy played Irish tunes as the crowd gathered. Ballymore provided refreshments and a commemorative booklet. There were speeches from, amongst others, Despard’s biographer Margaret Mulvihill, the Mayor of Wandsworth Cllr Sana Jafri and the former Irish President Mary McAleese.
Jeanne had invited me to read my poem about Charlotte Despard, What’s Mrs Despard Ever Done for Us?, from London Undercurrents, at the event, which was both daunting and a privilege.
After the ceremony, the speakers and invited guests were invited to a champagne reception by the Skypool. How could I miss that opportunity?
As if attending the VIP reception wasn’t thrilling enough, I found myself standing next to Mary McAleese, who told me she loved my poem!
You can read more about the event in this article in the Irish Post.
Thanks to Nick Rogers and Viv Redhead for photos.
Hilaire 
Yes it is a great poem well done Hilaire. What an interesting and inspiring woman Despard was.
Thank you Laurel! Yes, Despard definitely deserves to be better known