Irene Barclay

Irene Barclay (née Martin, 27 May 1894 – 21 March 1989) was the first woman to qualify in Britain as a chartered surveyor, and was a noted campaigner for social housing.

This was founded in Somers Town by the Anglican priest Basil Jellicoe and Barclay provided it with stability over her long tenure as its Secretary.

[8] Her pioneering social and housing surveys in the 1920s drew the attention of the middle classes to the plight of slum dwellers including Somers Town, Pimlico, North Kensington and Edinburgh as described in her memoirs, combining physical survey of the properties such as disrepair and lack of amenities with human aspects such as tenure, rents and overcrowding.

[9][10] Barclay, who has been described as ‘Irene, the patron of the poor’, was appointed an OBE in 1966 for her significant and valuable work as a social reformer.

[2] Barclay was one of the recipients of an English Heritage blue plaque in 2024, alongside Christina Broom, Diana Beck and Adelaide Hall.