Building The Body Beautiful

In 1930  Mary Bagot Stack created the Women’s League of Health & Beauty..  She had long believed in the power of exercise and in the 1920s, when she moved to Manchester she saw that women working in mills could benefit from systematic exercise to invigorate them after a hard day. She believed completely in the power of women to improve the world. She inspired many and it wasn't long before huge public displays of physical exercise were taking place throughout the country. For many women it was the first opportunity to participate in sports and physical exercise. The first, in Hyde Park, drew 160,000 members and was caught on newsreels at the time.

WOMEN'S LEAGUE OF HEALTH AND BEAUTY

(click on image to watch video link)

Her classes were popular and affordable and everybody could join in.  So much so, that you may well remember Lady Agnes in Upstairs Downstairs having a good old stretch and swing in one of the episodes.

Good news if you've overindulged on the old chocolate front this Easter, we are thrilled to have a copy of her popular 1930s book "Building The Body Beautiful" on our Library shelves at the moment and in honour of Mrs Bagot Stack we've placed it on one of the highest shelves so that we have to stretch as much as possible in our starched aprons!