Mary Hermione Hobhouse (2 February 1934 – 17 October 2014) was a British

architectural historian An architectural historian is a person who studies and writes about the history of architecture, and is regarded as an authority on it. Professional requirements As many architectural historians are employed at universities and other facilities ...

and prominent preservation campaigner.

Family and early life

Hobhouse was born on 2 February 1934 to Sir Arthur Hobhouse and Konradin Huth Jackson at Hadspen House, Castle Cary in

Somerset ( en, All The People of Somerset) , locator_map = , coordinates = , region = South West England , established_date = Ancient , established_by = , preceded_by = , origin = , lord_lieutenant_office =Lord Lieutenant of Somerset , lord_ ...

. She was educated at

Cheltenham Ladies' College Cheltenham Ladies' College is an independent boarding and day school for girls aged 11 to 18 in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England. Consistently ranked as one of the top all-girls' schools nationally, the school was established in 1853 to p ...

and at Lady Margaret Hall,

Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

, where she read Modern History. Her sister believed Hermione's exposure to Victorian Gothic architecture in this period ignited her interest. On 2 July 1955, Lady Hobhouse held a small "

coming-of-age Coming of age is a young person's transition from being a child to being an adult. The specific age at which this transition takes place varies between societies, as does the nature of the change. It can be a simple legal convention or can ...

" dance for Hermione and her sister Virginia at Hadspen.

Career

After a short spell in the United States, Hobhouse took a job as a researcher with Granada Television. After this she began working as a

freelance writer ''Freelance'' (sometimes spelled ''free-lance'' or ''free lance''), ''freelancer'', or ''freelance worker'', are terms commonly used for a person who is self-employed and not necessarily committed to a particular employer long-term. Freelance w ...

. Her first book, published in 1959, was a history of the Ward of Cheap in the

City of London The City of London is a city, ceremonial county and local government district that contains the historic centre and constitutes, alongside Canary Wharf, the primary central business district (CBD) of London. It constituted most of London f ...

. She was the author of ''Lost London'' (1971), in whose introduction she wrote: Between 1973 and 1978 she gave lectures in architectural history at the

Architectural Association The Architectural Association School of Architecture in London, commonly referred to as the AA, is the oldest independent school of architecture in the UK and one of the most prestigious and competitive in the world. Its wide-ranging programme ...

as well as in the United States into the 1980s. In 1976 Hobhouse succeeded Jane Fawcett as secretary of the

Victorian Society The Victorian Society is a UK amenity society and membership organisation that campaigns to preserve and promote interest in Victorian and Edwardian architecture and heritage built between 1837 and 1914 in England and Wales. It is a registered ...

, a group that campaigns to conserve Victorian and Edwardian buildings. A later chair, Peter Howell, said of her in this period: Her assistant at the Victorian Society, Louise Nicholson, recalled: It was a post she held until leaving in 1983 to work as general editor of the

Survey of London The Survey of London is a research project to produce a comprehensive architectural survey of central London and its suburbs, or the area formerly administered by the London County Council. It was founded in 1894 by Charles Robert Ashbee, an A ...

. During her tenure she oversaw publication of survey volumes on part of Kensington and the challenging prospect of covering the Docklands area of East London at a time when it was dramatically changing and developing. She also edited a monograph for the survey on the former GLC County Hall.

Honours and external interests

In 1981 Hobhouse was appointed MBE. She was also made a fellow of the

Society of Antiquaries of London A society is a group of individuals involved in persistent social interaction, or a large social group sharing the same spatial or social territory, typically subject to the same political authority and dominant cultural expectations. Soci ...

, where she served as a council member between 1984 and 1987. She served on the council of the

National Trust The National Trust, formally the National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, is a charity and membership organisation for heritage conservation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. In Scotland, there is a separate and ...

(1983–2001) and of the Royal Albert Hall (1988–2004). In the late 20th century the Royal Albert Hall underwent a five-year programme of refurbishment, and she was reported as having supervised the reinstatement of stencilling in the public areas. She supported the Clapham Society and the

Somerset Buildings Preservation Trust The Somerset Buildings Preservation Trust (SBPT) works to save the architectural heritage of Somerset, England. The Trust is an independent body and consists of up to 18 Trustees who hold Board meetings 3 times a year. It is a Building Preserv ...

. When the

Reform Club The Reform Club is a private members' club on the south side of Pall Mall in central London, England. As with all of London's original gentlemen's clubs, it comprised an all-male membership for decades, but it was one of the first all-male cl ...

allowed female members for the first time Hobhouse was one of the first to join. She was a keen supporter of the campaign to restore the club's home in Pall Mall, an Italianate palazzo by

Charles Barry Sir Charles Barry (23 May 1795 – 12 May 1860) was a British architect, best known for his role in the rebuilding of the Palace of Westminster (also known as the Houses of Parliament) in London during the mid-19th century, but also respons ...

Death

Hobhouse died on 17 October 2014, aged 80.

Personal life

Hobhouse married architect Harry Graham in 1958. The marriage produced two children – a son, Francis, and daughter, Harriet – before being amicably dissolved. Hobhouse was survived by her children.

Partial bibliography

* ''The Ward of Cheap in the City of London: A Short History'' (1959) * ''Lost London: A Century of Demolition and Decay'' (1971) * ''Thomas Cubitt: Master Builder'' (1971, revised 1995) * ''A History of Regent Street'' (1975) * ''Oxford and Cambridge'' with Richard Gloucester (1980) * ''Prince Albert: His Life and Work'' (1983) * ''Survey of London Volume XLII: Southern Kensington: Kensington Square to Earl's Court'' (as editor) (1986) * ''Good and Proper Materials: Fabric of London Since the Great Fire'' with Ann Saunders (1989) * ''County Hall: Survey Of London Monograph 17'' (as editor) (1991) * ''Survey of London Volumes XLIII and XLIV: Poplar, Blackwall and the Isle of Dogs'' (as editor) (1994) * ''London Survey'd: The Work Of The Survey Of London 1894–1994'' (1994) * ''Crystal Palace and the Great Exhibition: Science, Art, and Productive Industry: The History of the Royal Commission of the Exhibition of 1851'' (2002) * ''History of Regent Street: A Mile of Style'' (2008)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hobhouse, Hermione 1934 births 2014 deaths English architectural historians Alumni of Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford British women historians

Hermione Hermione may refer to: People * Hermione (given name), a female given name * Hermione (mythology), only daughter of Menelaus and Helen in Greek mythology and original bearer of the name Arts and literature * ''Cadmus et Hermione'', an opera by ...

Members of the Order of the British Empire People educated at Cheltenham Ladies' College