Episode 4: Laura Annie Willson
Born in 1877 in Halifax, west Yorkshire, Laura Annie Willson grew up in poverty and started work at the age of ten, as a ‘half-timer’ in a local mill. Twice imprisoned for her political activities, she later became co-director of a highly successful engineering business, employing mostly women, and did much to improve working conditions.
Laura Annie was a founder member of both the Women’s Engineering Society and the Electrical Association for Women. She designed and built hundreds of modern homes for working people, describing house-building as ‘a form of engineering of the domestic kind’. In 1928 she spoke of being at the start of a ‘golden age’ for women, especially those entering the business world. ‘Industry has become fascinating and profitable to women,’ she said, ‘and we want to play our full part in that new life.’
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