John Frederick Denison Maurice  (1805-1872)  - Denison Close and Maurice Walk

John Frederick Denison Maurice was a prominent Anglican theologian and philosopher, after whom both Denison Close and Maurice Walk are named. One of the only two individuals to have more than one Suburb road named in his honour using different names, Maurice is largely regarded as a pioneer of the Christian Socialist movement. His career was fraught with controversy and opposition — he was even initially refused graduation from Cambridge due to his refusal to subscribe to the Thirty-nine Articles, a key tenet of Anglicanism. His Christian Socialist beliefs, as well as the publication of his contentious Theological Essays, led to his dismissal from professorship in 1853 from King’s College, Cambridge. Nevertheless, he grew to become an immensely influential figure, with followers of his preachings deeming him ‘the Prophet’. An avid supporter of women’s education and the rights of the working classes, Maurice founded both Queen’s College, London — a secondary school for girls — and the Working Men’s College (which is now one of the earliest adult education institutions in the UK). He is survived by his vast literary legacy of nearly 40 written volumes, of which many, such as The Kingdom of Christ, remain impactful to this date.