HILL, OCTAVIA (1838-1912) and MIRANDA (1836 I 91o), English pioneers in housing reform, were born in London, being daughters of James Hill and granddaughters of Dr. South wood Smith, the pioneer of sanitary reform. Octavia Hill's atten tion was early drawn to the bad condition of the housing of the working classes and of the poor in London. With the help of John Ruskin Octavia Hill purchased the 56 years' lease of three houses in one of the poorest courts of Marylebone. The houses were put in repair, and let out in sets of two rooms. The experiment proved to be financially sound. What specially distinguished this scheme was that Miss Hill herself collected the rents, thus coming into contact with the tenants and helping to enforce regular and self respecting habits. The success of her first attempt encouraged her to continue. Six more houses were bought and treated in a similar manner. A yearly sum was set aside for the repairs of each house, and whatever remained over was spent on such addi tional appliances as the tenants themselves desired. This encour aged them to keep their tenements in good repair. By the help of friends Octavia Hill was now enabled to enlarge the scope of her work. Several large owners of tenement houses, notably the ecclesiastical commissioners, entrusted to her the management of property, and consulted her about plans of rebuilding.
See Charles E. Maurice, Life of Octavia Hill as told in her Letters (1913).