In 2026, Mothers’ Union celebrates 150 years. For just over a hundred of them, the movement has worked from a single building, Mary Sumner House, on Tufton Street in Westminster.
Mary Sumner founded Mothers’ Union in 1876. What began as a single parish meeting grew into a women-led movement of more than four million members in over 80 countries. The 150 years belong to that movement. To the members, the programmes, and the work these women have done. This is simply what they look like from one address.
A building made for the work
When Mary Sumner House opened in 1925, it was not bought or borrowed. It was built as a purpose-designed headquarters of a movement that had outgrown every space it had used before. The building on Tufton Street was the answer: a deliberate, lasting commitment to enduring work.
A century later, the original wood panelling and parquet floors are still intact. The building is Grade II listed, recognised for its architecture and its place in Westminster’s fabric. In the Mary Sumner Room, four windows carry the provincial arms of Ireland, placed in memory of the 49,435 Irish soldiers lost in World War I.
The names on the doors
Most meeting rooms are a number, a floor, perhaps a colour. Each room at Mary Sumner House carries the name of a woman who has changed the world.
There is the Rosa Parks Room, named for the woman whose arrest for refusing to give up her bus seat helped dismantle segregation. The Maya Angelou Room, for a writer who gave generations their voice. The Malala Yousafzai Room, for a girl who, after insisting girls should have the right to an education, survived a Taliban assassination attempt at 15. The Wangari Maathai Room, for the first African woman to receive the Nobel Peace Prize, who answered environmental ruin by planting millions of trees. The Sarojini Naidu Room, for the poet and campaigner who helped shape modern India. The Mary Slessor Room, for the Scot who spent her life in service in West Africa. Alongside them sit the Queen Elizabeth II Room and the Mary Sumner Room, named for the founder herself.
There is no single nationality here, no single era, no single field. What these women share is what Mothers’ Union has stood for over the past 150 years. This is a statement about women of courage, education, and leadership, made permanent in the walls of the building.
Our doors are still open
Mary Sumner House is not a memorial to 150 years. It is still where the movement operates, and its rooms are still used by charities and organisations whose work carries a sense of purpose. Every pound of profit it generates is reinvested directly into Mothers’ Union programmes to tackle domestic abuse, support families in crisis, and give women opportunities in some of the world’s hardest places.
Whether you’re planning a meeting, a conference, or simply want to stand in the rooms where so much of the movement’s story has been lived, Mary Sumner House is open to you. To arrange a visit or get in touch with our team, call us on 020 7222 5533.