Leeds Civic Trust has unveiled its 205th blue plaque to commemorate Elizabeth Garnett, who championed workers’ rights and pioneered social reform in Victorian Britain.
Garnett co-founded the Navvy Mission Society and helped to improve working conditions for labourers who carried out major civil engineering projects in the 19th and early 20th centuries.
Born in Otley, Yorkshire, Garnett’s work had been largely forgotten until a recent campaign was launched to recognise her achievements with a blue plaque.
Anthony Walker FCIOB, who nominated Garnett, said: “Discovering Elizabeth Garnett’s inspiring story filled me with passion to see her properly commemorated in her hometown of Otley.
“Her pioneering work improving conditions for navvies and their families was truly remarkable – transforming how Victorian society viewed and treated these essential workers.
“As someone in the construction sector today, I recognise how her advocacy laid the foundations for modern worker welfare.
“This blue plaque ensures Elizabeth’s extraordinary legacy of compassion and social reform is remembered where it all began.”
The plaque has been placed near the Navvies Memorial in Otley. The memorial was originally consecrated by Garnett’s father, the then Vicar of Otley.
Martin Hamilton, director of Leeds Civic Trust, said: “When we travel by train or turn on a tap, it is easy to forget the terrible conditions that the workers had to endure when the first tracks were laid or ground excavated.
“Elizabeth Garnett understood that something needed to be done, and through her work transformed the lives of thousands of navvy workers.”
