Minnie Lansbury memorial clock

Minnie Lansbury (1889- 1922), née Glassman, was the daughter of Jewish coal merchant Isaac Glassman. She became a teacher and joined the East End suffragettes in 1915, becoming a friend of the Pankhursts. She went to become a member of the War Pensions Committee, fighting to ensure that widows and orphans of World War I were properly looked after. She married Edgar Lansbury, son of George Lansbury (Mayor of Poplar and later leader of the Labour party) in 1914, and was elected an alderman of Poplar’s first Labour council in 1919. In 1921 she was jailed, along with many of her council colleagues, for refusing to levy rates on the poor of Poplar. After 6 weeks in prison they were released, but Minnie’s health was shattered and she contracted pneumonia and died in January 1922 at the age of just 32. Thousands of local people attended her funeral and the memorial clock was erected by public subscription on Electric House, Bow Road in her memory.

The clock was taken down and restored by experts Smith of Derby. The restored clock, now painted green and gold, was re-erected on Electric House in summer 2008.