Introducing House of Pankhurst, Kimpton Fitzroy London’s new creative residency launched in celebration of International Women’s Day on 8th March.
Taking inspiration from Emmeline Pankhurst, founder of the Suffragette movement and former resident of what is now our coffeehouse Burr & Co., we are delving into our rich history and local literary connections to champion feminist values and support rising literary and creative talent.
This year’s residency celebrates how poetry was often used as a vehicle to progress the women’s movement throughout history, using words in a variety of ways to campaign for the vote. Suffragettes wrote propaganda in the form of marching songs, engaging short stories and vibrant poetry. In addition, they would create longer pieces, including fiction and memoirs, providing space to explore the complexity of fighting for the vote.
The residency will also support the wider arts community by hosting a quarterly programme and a creative open house at Burr & Co, where creatives are invited to book a space to work for free. Creatives can expect to experience anything from poetry slams to evening talks with industry leading guest speakers – stay tuned for more to come.
Kimpton Fitzroy London’s Creative in Residence
Kimpton Fitzroy London’s first Creative in Residence is raising poetry star Hayley Frances, who wrote and narrated a poem inspired by our building’s striking history and architecture, titled ‘Fable of the Singing Queens of England’. Listen to the poem here: