Kimpton Fitzroy Hotel is delving into its rich history and local literary connections as it launches the House of Pankhurst. The House of Pankhurst is the hotel’s brand new creative residency, and to pay homage to Bloomsbury’s literary heritage the first focus of the residency will be poetry.
Inspired by the hotel being the site of Suffragette Emmeline Pankhurst’s former home, this year’s residency celebrates how poetry was often used as a vehicle to progress the women’s movement throughout history. Kimpton Fitzroy London’s first creative resident is rising poetry star, Hayley Frances, who has penned a poem titled ‘Fable of the Singing Queens Of England’ which is inspired by the hotel’s history and striking architecture. Hayley has been selected as the first creative in residence as her work explores the psychology of creative writing, similarly to how the Suffragettes would express their struggle while protesting.
Literature was an important part of the Suffragette movement, using words in a variety of ways to campaign for the vote. Suffragettes wrote propaganda in the form of marching songs, engaging short stories and vibrant poetry. In addition, they would create longer pieces, including fiction and memoirs, providing space to explore the complexity of fighting for the vote.
The residency will also support the wider arts community by hosting a quarterly programme and a monthly creative open house. Creatives can expect to experience anything from poetry slams to evening talks with industry leading guest speakers.
Fitz’s bar has created bespoke, limited edition cocktails inspired by the poem, titled ‘Singing Queens of England’ and ‘Glitter Sphere of Mirror Squares’ which will take guests on a flavour journey – anything but bland. A line from Hayley’s poem has also been immortalised as an installation in Fitz’s. Guests can enjoy the poem in full from the comfort of their suites by streaming it directly from Spotify.
Burr & Co., Kimpton Fitzroy London’s coffeehouse and former home of Emmeline Pankhurst, is embracing the campaign by creating a bespoke menu dish and cocktail available throughout March. The breakfast dish of Marmalade spelt porridge, cinnamon, clotted cream, cornflowers has been inspired by ‘The Suffragette Cookbook’ first published in 1915. The cocktail named Minerva, made with rhubarb purée, hibiscus syrup, green apple essence and topped with sparkling wine, will also be available. The cocktail name comes from a café in High Holborn, called Minerva, where after the Representation of the People Act was passed in 1918, they served a celebratory rhubarb tart.
Garreth Walsh, General Manager of Kimpton Fitzroy London, said: “Bloomsbury is renowned for its powerful connections between literature and feminist activism, combining this with the fact that Burr & Co. is the former home of Emmeline Pankhurt, it felt important that we pay homage to the hotel’s links to the Suffragette movement. We were keen to bring this aspect of the hotel’s history into the modern world, and poetry felt like the perfect way to launch the creative residency. We are excited to explore the rising creative talent that apply to the residency and continue to support artists in the years to come.”
House of Pankhurst, incumbent Poet, Hayley Frances comments: “Kimpton Fitzroy London is a hotel full of inspiration and history. I was unaware of the hotel’s connection to Emmeline Pankhurst and the Suffragette movement, so I was eager to get involved as this is a matter close to my heart. A lot of my work explores peoples’ emotions and wellbeing, something that is extremely relevant to the Suffragette movement.
“When curating the poem, Kimpton’s decadent interiors and exteriors worked wonders for inspiration, so it’s amazing that each quarter they will be hosting a programme of events for up-and-coming creatives. I am honoured to be selected as the first resident and to see the poem come to life around the hotel is something of a dream.”