Westminster Abbey to honour National Trust's Octavia Hill

Octavia Hill died in 1912

One of the founders of the National Trust is to be commemorated with a memorial at Westminster Abbey.

The memorial to social housing pioneer Octavia Hill will be revealed at a service at the abbey later this year, the centenary of her death.

Ms Hill worked with the artist John Ruskin to create 15 housing schemes in London which provided 3,000 people with accommodation in the late 19th Century.

Ms Hill and two other campaigners founded the charity in 1895.

The reformer also campaigned for the protection of open spaces and against building development which encroached into suburban green spaces.

'Innovative genius'

The abbey said it was currently looking for a sculptor to make the memorial.

The Dean of Westminster, the Very Rev Dr John Hall, said: "The National Trust is a highly respected institution of wide influence that contributes substantially and extensively to the preservation of the history and environment of this country.

"Octavia Hill's memorial in Westminster Abbey will honour her great foundation and innovative genius alongside that of other 19th Century men and women whose influence will still be felt long into the future.

"I hope it will encourage people to see how every individual can make a difference for good."