Elsie Lilly Kimber blue plaque

This blue commemorative plaque records: This building, called "Kimber's Corner" was from 1906 the site of Kimber's Grocers and Provision Merchants, the birthplace and home of Elsie Lilly Kimber (1889-1954) first female Mayor of Newbury since the Council was created in 1596. She was elected the first female Newbury Town Councillor in 1922, served as Mayor of Newbury 1932-33, and was appointed the first female Alderman of the Borough in 1943. Elsie was one of the first intake of 39 pupils to the Newbury County Girls' School when it opened in 1904. She joined her father, Ernest Kimber, in his grocers business and ran it after his death in 1939 until retiring in 1953. She was also the first woman delegate to the All England Grocers' Conference. As a Councillor, her interests included housing, slum clearance, public health and education. Recorded plaque organisation: Newbury Town Council, Newbury Society.

Elsie Lilly Kimber (1889-1954) was the first female Mayor of Newbury since 1596, elected as a Town Councillor in 1922 and serving as Mayor from 1932-1933, marking significant progress for women in local governance. She also became the first female Alderman of the Borough in 1943 and was known for her work on housing, slum clearance, public health, and education.