Barbara Tate (2 June 1927 – 12 November 2009) was a

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artist and writer, perhaps best known for her bestselling book ''West End Girls'', which was published shortly after her death.Barbara Tate's official website
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Career in Art

Born in

Uxbridge Uxbridge () is a suburban town in west London and the administrative headquarters of the London Borough of Hillingdon. Situated west-northwest of Charing Cross, it is one of the major metropolitan centres identified in the London Plan. Uxbrid ...

as Barbara June Peddle, her father Charles Jonathan Peddle (1895-1961) was a carpenter and lorry-driver. A violent man, he once tied a noose around her neck when she was aged 3 and balanced her on her toes until she was rescued hours later when her mother came home. Abandoned soon after by her mother Elsie Irene, née Williams (1904–1973), she was brought up by her maternal grandparents. In 1944 aged 17 she won a scholarship to

Ealing School of Art Ealing Art College (or Ealing Technical College & School of Art) was a further education institution on St Mary's Road, Ealing, London, England. The site today is the Ealing campus of University of West London. History In the early 1960s the Sch ...

. In 1972 Tate became a member of the

Society of Women Artists The Society of Women Artists (SWA) is a British art body dedicated to celebrating and promoting fine art created by women. It was founded as the Society of Female Artists (SFA) in about 1855, offering women artists the opportunity to exhibit and ...

(SWA). She was the organisation's President from 1985 to 2000 and later became an Honorary President. The SWA bestows the Barbara Tate Award annually in her memory. Her paintings were awarded gold and silver medals from the

Paris Salon The Salon (french: Salon), or rarely Paris Salon (French: ''Salon de Paris'' ), beginning in 1667 was the official art exhibition of the Académie des Beaux-Arts in Paris. Between 1748 and 1890 it was arguably the greatest annual or biennial art ...

and the Grand Prix de la Cote d'Azur. She was also a member of the Society of Botanical Artists and the

Royal Society of British Artists The Royal Society of British Artists (RBA) is a British art body established in 1823 as the Society of British Artists, as an alternative to the Royal Academy. History The RBA commenced with twenty-seven members, and took until 1876 to reach fif ...

. In 1993 she was appointed an Honorary Professor of

Thames Valley University The University of West London (UWL) is a public research university in the United Kingdom with campuses in Ealing, Brentford, and in Reading, Berkshire. The university has roots in 1860, when the Lady Byron School was founded, later Ealing Col ...

. She married fellow artist James Tate in 1951 and had one daughter.

West End Girls

Her book ''West End Girls'' (2010) outlined her life as maid from 1948 to 1950 to Fayn Nicholson (1918-1977) ('Mae Roberts' in the book), a

prostitute Prostitution is the business or practice of engaging in sexual activity in exchange for payment. The definition of "sexual activity" varies, and is often defined as an activity requiring physical contact (e.g., sexual intercourse, non-penet ...

in London's then notorious

Soho Soho is an area of the City of Westminster, part of the West End of London. Originally a fashionable district for the aristocracy, it has been one of the main entertainment districts in the capital since the 19th century. The area was develop ...

district. Nicholson/Roberts was murdered by being burned to death in her London flat in 1977. The

manuscript A manuscript (abbreviated MS for singular and MSS for plural) was, traditionally, any document written by hand – or, once practical typewriters became available, typewritten – as opposed to mechanically printing, printed or repr ...

was actually completed in 1977 but Tate withheld publication for 32 years believing her former occupation might embarrass her family.Review of ''West End Girls''
in the ''

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'' 30 July 2010 The book became ''

The Times ''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper ''The Sunday Times'' (fou ...

'' Bestseller. In 2012 it was also adapted into the play ''West End Girls'' by

Circa Theatre Circa Theatre is a professional theatre company in Wellington, New Zealand, that was established in 1976. They present a number of plays each year in their two auditoriums, and have a unique partnership and funding model with incoming shows unde ...

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

.''West End Girls'' reviewed on the ''Theatre Review'' website - 6 August 2012
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References

External links

Review of ''West End Girls''
- the ''

Islington Tribune The ''Islington Tribune'' is a free, independent newspaper that covers the London Borough of Islington in north London. It was founded in 2003 as a sister paper to the ''Camden New Journal''. It carries significant influence locally due to its hig ...

'', 19 August 2010 {{DEFAULTSORT:Tate, Barbara 1927 births 2009 deaths 20th-century English painters 20th-century English women artists Academics of the University of West London English non-fiction writers English autobiographers English women painters Members of the Royal Society of British Artists Women autobiographers