OPINION: Remembering social reformer Octavia Hill on the anniversary of her death

Readers of the Gazette may not be familiar with the name Octavia Hill. She was an English social reformer and one of three founders of the National Trust which was set up to preserve places of historic interest or natural beauty.

She was born into a family of radical thinkers and reformers with a strong commitment to alleviating poverty. She grew up in disadvantaged circumstances, and was home educated by her mother. She worked from the age of 14.

Octavia’s main concern was for the welfare of those who lived in cities in the second half of the nineteenth century, especially in London.

She was very much committed to alleviating poverty. She knew what it was like because she herself grew up in impoverished circumstances owing to the financial failure of her father's businesses.

Octavia was concerned for the welfare of working people, and was a moving force behind the development of social housing. She and her companions knew their tenants personally and encouraged them to better themselves.

Another of her concerns was the availability of open spaces for poor people. She campaigned against development on existing suburban woodlands, and helped to save London's Hampstead Heath from being built on. She was also a moving force behind the development of social housing.

Octavia received no formal schooling. She and her siblings were educated by their mother in the family home. She was concerned about the poorest in early Victorian London. She began her work on behalf of poor people in London by helping to make toys for ragged school children.

She believed in the life-enhancing virtues of pure earth, clean air and blue sky. In 1875, she was the first person to use the term "Green Belt" for the protected rural areas surrounding London and prevent the city from sprawling out.

In 2012, a memorial plate was unveiled in Westminster Abbey by Simon Jenkins, who was then the chairman of the National Trust. The round stone tablet notes her as a "Social reformer and a founder of the National Trust".

She died in 1912 at the age of 73 on today’s date - 13 August 1912 - and rightly, today is the date on which she is remembered each year.