Historic Suffragette's Home Faces Urgent Repairs After Years of Neglect

In a move to preserve an important piece of history, the Preston City Council has ordered the owner of a 200-year-old former home of a famous suffragette to carry out urgent repairs within the next two weeks. The Grade II-listed Georgian property, known as Edith Rigby House, has been left vacant for more than a decade and is now covered in graffiti.

The council has served a notice demanding remedial action be taken to protect the building in Winckley Square, which was once the home of Edith Rigby, a prominent figure in the women's suffrage movement. Rigby, who was friends with the Pankhurst sisters, was jailed seven times for her activism, including acts of arson, in pursuit of women's right to vote.

According to the council, the property's management company, Highdorn Co. Limited, has "failed to make good on a final warning" issued in response to concerns about the building's deteriorating state. A recent condition survey found that the roof, guttering, windows, and internal structure all require attention, with one wall even starting to collapse.

The council's cabinet member for planning and regulation, Councillor Amber Afzal, said Edith Rigby House "remains on our priority list of vulnerable properties" and that the upcoming repairs will help take the building "out of immediate danger." Further discussions will be held to secure the property's long-term future, which could potentially include turning it into a museum dedicated to Rigby's life and legacy.