The first woman to be elected as Mayor of Acton in London (1924), and the person that we must thank for the acquisition of the Acton Top (left) by Gunnersbury Park Museum, is Susan Smee (1859-1949). A prominent resident who has been called a ‘trail blazer' and the 'First Lady of Acton', Susan Smee was the first woman to run for local council, and the first female magistrate at the Acton Sessions Court – she was also active in education and public health. One of the driving forces behind the establishment of the museum in 1929 and the Honorary Curator until the museum closed in WWII, she was responsible for building an eclectic collection that comprised Victorian costumes, quilts, archaeology, glass bottles, toys, paintings, prints and ephemera. Miss Smee also…
