Women who know their place

It's 50 years since the creation of life peers, and the arrival of women in the House of Lords.

The photograph of "People's Peers" (Baroness Finlay of Llandaff is on the right) comes from an
exhibition to mark the anniversary. It was taken by Desiree Pfeiffer.

The creation of women peers was incredibly controversial at the time.

Lord Glasgow said during the debates: "This is the only place in the kingdom where men can meet without women. For Heaven's sake lets keep it like that!"

An earlier doomed attempt to enable women hereditary peers to take their seats in the Lords had been led by Viscountess Rhondda, the daughter of a former Liberal MP David Thomas, later the first Viscount Rhondda.

You can read more about the case here and more about the remarkable lady herself here.