Hornsey Personalities of the Past - Hornsey Historical Society

Julius Salter Elias, Viscount Southwood, 1873 – 1946: From Office Boy to Press Baron

The fourth article in our series – Hornsey Personalities of the Past

Lord Southwood, third from left, inspecting sea cadets during the Second World War

This is the classic ‘rags to riches’ story. The son of itinerant Polish immigrants, Elias went on to own a large property in Highgate called Southwood Court. He was created Baron Southwood in 1937, Viscount Southwood in 1945 and was Labour Party Chief Whip in the House of Lords, 1944-45. The embodiment of the British Establishment, his memorial service was held at Westminster Abbey. How had he accomplished all this?

David Grieg (1861 – 1952): Hornsey’s educational philanthropist

This is the third article in our series – Hornsey Personalities of the Past

The capture of a Scottish sea captain by the French, another Scots’ decision to emigrate to Australia and his wife’s concern for her large family – all played a part in the foundation of David Greig Ltd. the first chain of grocery shops in the UK.It’s a story of courage, hard work, foresight, service to the public and an eye to profit, from the first small shop in Hornsey High Street to a chain of nearly 250 stores.

Charlotte Cowdroy (1864-1932): A Headmistress with Trenchant Educational Ideas

This is the second article in our 2022 series – Hornsey Personalities of the Past

Charlotte Cowdroy earned a national reputation for herself as headmistress of the school she owned – Crouch End High School and College (1900-1974), which educated girls between the ages of 6 and 16 with a few staying on a year or two longer. It took boarders also. Miss Cowdroy’s strong beliefs of how girls should be educated in the 20^th century raise our eyebrows quizzically in the third decade of the 21^st century.

W B Tegetmeier: The Birds and the Bees in 19th Century Muswell Hill

This is the first article in a new series for 2022 – Hornsey Personalities of the Past

The 19^th century naturalist who immediately comes to mind is Charles Darwin whose seminal work, The Origin of Species, (1859) rocked the sedate world and beliefs of the Victorian Establishment. It is, therefore, surprising to learn that Darwin rated W B Tegetmeier an authority on several species of birds and on bees and corresponded with him for years. Indeed, Tegetmeier’s house in St James’s Lane, Muswell Hill, came to be known as ‘The Bee House’ as a result of his extensive work studying and breeding them.