Bessie Quinn - Survivor Spirit: From Galashiels Mills to Garden Cities
Bessie Quinn was an early 20th century New Woman, living her love story in the enchanted world of the Garden City. When she died her shattered husband abandoned her memory, belongings and life history.
Starting with only an Arts & Crafts kettle, one photo and a linen smock, Ursula Howard has restored her grandmother to life.This biography unearths hard journeys of love, luck and loss, weaving historical fact with memory and imagination into a compelling story.
Ursula is the great-granddaughter of Ebenezer Howard, the son of a London pastry-cook who became the visionary founder of the Garden City movement. This new book links his astonishing achievement to the life stories of poor Irish immigrants in 19th-century Scotland - the forgotten Quinn family, one of whom defied the odds and found her own life.
“This is the stuff of real history - atmospheric, emotional and acutely well-observed. A superb piece of patient and loving work." Alistair Moffat author.
WGC Heritage Trust is delighted to offer an opportunity to explore the latest book from Ursula Howard. Priced £18.99 "Bessie Quinn - Survivor Spirit" can be ordered directly from the Trust - email