Florence Keen (1868-1942)

Florence Keen

Florence Keen moved to Islington in 1887 and founded the North Islington Welfare Centre and School for Mothers in Holloway in 1913. At the time, infant mortality rates in Islington were 110 per 1000 births. The centre was intended to be a school for mothers, teaching less privileged mothers how to look after their babies and correcting old fashioned mothering techniques. Keen was the Honorary Secretary and Treasurer when the centre opened. At that time, a voluntary doctor and nurse examined 12-15 babies once per week.

In 1915, the centre moved to larger premises and started to offer dental and eye clinics, as well as massage, ‘artificial sunlight’ treatment for rickets, training for infant welfare students, and the provision of home help. The organisation, now known as the Manor Gardens Welfare Trust, continues to provide community healthcare in Islington. The Islington Gazette wrote:

Florence Keen was a true Islington hero, who literally helped save thousands of local babies and children in their first years. She was often called “the Angel of Islington” and “the Florence Nightingale of Islington” by grateful parents.