Peggy (nee Garnett) Jay (1913 – 2008)

Flower Festival 2012:

flowersArranged by Brita Wolf and given by Burgh House in memory of Peggy.

Margaret Christian ‘Peggy’ Garnett Jay was the last of a line of Hampstead middle class Labour ‘Grande Dames’ who took over the London County Council in 1934. She was born in Manchester into the Garnett family – and at the age of six she moved with her family to Hampstead. After St Paul’s Girls School and Oxford she married local boy Douglas Jay. They had two sons and twin girls.

Peggy played a huge part in keeping Hampstead the iconic village – she sat under a tree to prevent the council from cutting it down; she headed a campaign to stop MacDonalds coming to Hampstead High Street, and she lay down on the pavement outside the ‘Coffee Cup’ to stop it turning into yet another chi-chi establishment.

In 1978 she was a founder trustee member of the “Keep Burgh House for Hampstead” Committee – devoting much time and energy in helping to restore this beautiful Queen Anne house for the benefit of the local community.

She also helped to create a children’s adventure playground on Hampstead Heath, appropriately named after her, as well as the popular one o’clock clubs for under fives – of which she was deservedly very proud to have been the instigator.

jaylarge click once on the image

This page was last updated on July 18th, 2012.

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