Laurence Housman and Clemence Housman spent much of their lives side by side. They attended school together and it naturally followed that they would pursue similar careers in the fine arts and literature. Their shared residence at No. 1 Pembroke Cottage in Kensington became the centre of their activity in the Women's Suffrage Movement. 

Kensington had a reputation for their suffrage activity. The Kensington Society encouraged feminist discourse, giving way to two branches of the National Union of Women's Suffrage Societies (NUWSS) as well as a branch of the Women's Social and Political Union (WSPU), a militant suffrage group.

Laurence and Clemence Housman began supporting the WSPU in 1908. Their cottage quickly became a centre for suffrage movements. In 1910, the Suffrage Atelier (founded by Laurence and Clemence) made Pembroke Cottage its headquarters. A WSPU banner was made there, suffragettes boycotting the 1911 census took refuge at the cottage, and suffrage craft work was produced there. The Housman's background in the fine arts and literature proved useful to promoting the women's suffrage agenda.