Posted on 21st September 2011
The life and works of philanthropist John Passmore Edwards, whose legacy is still visible across the London borough of Newham and elsewhere, are celebrated in a new book to mark the centenary of his death.
Funding the Ladder: The Passmore Edwards Legacy, written by Dean Evans, details his life from early years in Cornwall to making his fortune in publishing.
Passmore Edwards used his fortune to establish hospitals, convalescent homes, museums, galleries and libraries. A number of community buildings are named after him, particularly in the London borough of Newham.
His philosophy was that by ‘funding the ladder’ through philanthropy, he could encourage poorer people to ‘climb’. He believed in helping people to help themselves and others. His autobiography says: “Yes, a philanthropic spirit is good; a dutiful spirit is better. Duty is a beneficent mistress. Her teachings and claims are prior to and mightier than the teachings and claims of philanthropy. While a prevailing purpose of philanthropy is to mitigate human ills, a prevailing purpose of duty is to prevent them. There would be little necessity for the exercise of mercy or benevolence if right and justice ruled and regulated human affairs.”
Passmore Edwards also campaigned for the abolition of slavery and for parliamentary reform as well as supporting the Chartist movement, the first working class labour movement and the Temperance movement, the campaign to reduce the use of alcohol.
The book was launched at a reception hosted by Newham MP, Stephen Timms. He said: “The generosity and pioneering spirit of John Passmore Edwards is still very much a part of our life in Newham. He paid for buildings that, over one hundred years on, continue to be some of the finest in Newham.”
