A blue plaque, commemorating the life of cross-dressing duo Ernest Boulton and Frederick Park, better known as Stella and Fanny, has been unveiled on the wall of the United Reformed Church House in London.
The plaque, organised by the Marchmont Association, celebrates the Victorian cross-dressers, who were famous in London’s theatres and music halls for their impersonations of women and who lived at 13 Wakefield Street, the site on which part of Church House now stands.
Speaking at the unveiling in July, Ricci de Freitas, Chair of the Marchmont Association, said:
“Boulton and Park are another story of this place. They were men who kept their frocks and make-up in the ground floor room of Mrs Stacey’s boarding house, which stood on our site in the 1870s.
“They would come in as men and walk out as women. But one day they walked out and didn’t come back. They were imprisoned and tried and that story is truly horrifying.
“The United Reformed Church is a broad church with diverse views; and whilst not everyone is of the same mind on matters relating to human sexuality, I think that it is important for all of us, as we continue seeking the mind of Christ on matters of human sexuality, to remember the real human beings behind the stereotypes and the stories within our nation’s social history.
“I am glad that the story has been discovered and that it will not be forgotten.”
You must be logged in to post a comment.