Sylvia Pankhurst’s first commemorative statue stands in Mile End Park in the East End of London. Pankhurst, along with the soccer player Ledley King, was chosen by the local community to be depicted in the park. Dedicated on August 15th, 2011, the statue was part of the Portrait Benches project, led by the charity Sustrans, to beautify the National Cycle Network. The Laser Process of Cannock created the two-dimensional steel silhouette statue. It depicts Pankhurst holding a pile of papers on her left and handing them out with her right. Estelle Sylvia Pankhurst (1882-1960) was the daughter of the UK suffragette leader Emmeline Pankhurst. Growing up in a social-political activist home shaped her views on equality and drove her to activism work. She followed her passion and gained training as an artist but devoted her life to different social causes. Alongside her older sister, Christabel, and their mother, she became a leader of the UK women’s rights movement, setting her home base in the East End neighborhood of London. Besides women’s rights, Pankhurst wrote and fought for socialism and against colonialism throughout the British Empire and fascism in Europe. Towards the end of WW1, Pankhurst started a 30-year-long relationship with the Italian anarchist/painter/ journalist Silvio Corio. At 45, she gave birth to their son. Since 1934 she has advocated for Ethiopia’s independence, founding and writing for 20 years The New Times and Ethiopia News. In 1956, following the invitation of the emperor Haile Selassie, she moved to Ethiopia and lived there till she died four years later. Pankhurst was buried with honors in front of the Holy Trinity Cathedral in Addis Ababa. Read more...

A ten-year fundraising campaign called Mary on the Green led by the Newington Green Action Group and chaired by the writer and journalist Bee Rowlatt, the first monument that honors Mary Wollstonecraft, the mother of feminism, was dedicated on November 10th, 2020. It stands on the north side of Newington Green Park, close to where Wollstonecraft had lived and worked. The sculpture, titled: A Sculpture for Mary Wollstonecraft, depicts a tiny naked woman emerging from an organic matter. The committee chose Maggi Hambling’s design; however, following its dedication, it sparked a lot of criticism from many feminist groups who claimed that there are enough statues of naked women and it was inappropriate to represent a feminist figure this way. Hambling explained that she wanted the figure to be unlimited by clothes, represent every woman, and the birth of the feminist movement. The silver bronze sculpture stands on a black granite pedestal inscribed with Wollstonecraft’s quote: “I do not wish women to have power over men but over themselves.” Mary Wollstonecraft (1759-1797) was one of the first feminist philosophers. She lived an unconventional life, believed in equality for women, advocated for women’s rights, and wrote about it. In 1792, Wollstonecraft published her most famous work, the essay A Vindication of the Rights of Woman, claiming that women should receive the same education as men. In 1797, she died several days after giving birth to her second daughter, Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley, the famous English author whose most known work is the novel Frankenstein. Read more...

The Florence Nightingale statue is one of the statues in the Guards Crimean War Memorial at Waterloo Place. It commemorates the devotion and contribution of the social reformer and the founder of modern nursing. The memorial was dedicated in 1861, and Nightingale’s bronze statue was added on 24 February 1915. Arthur George Walker sculpted it; he is the sculptor of the marble memorial relief of Nightingale for the crypt of St Paul’s and the Louisa Aldrich-Blake memorial. Nightingale is depicted at age 36, her age at the Crimean War, holding her iconic lamp, as she did during her night rounds at the hospital. Four bronze reliefs on the granite pedestal show scenes of her at work – advising in the hospital at Scutari, attending wounded soldiers on their arrival, in a meeting at the War Office, and old age surrounded by nurses. A smaller version of the statue is part of the Government Art Collection in Downing Street. Florence Nightingale (1820-1910) was born into a British aristocratic family. Her compassion for others was evident from an early age when she supported the ill and poor people in the nearby village. Nightingale got four months of medical training in Germany in 1850. On her return, she began exercising her new skills, and three years later, was appointed as superintendent at the Institute for the Care of Sick Gentlewomen in London. In 1854, a year after the Crimean War broke out, she was asked to lead a delegation of nurses to Scutari to organize the hospital and tend the wounded soldiers. During the days, she supervised her crew of nurses, worked on improving the hygiene and sanitation conditions of the hospital, and took care of the physical and psychological needs of the wounded soldiers. During the nighttime, she walked the wards with her lamp, talking and mentally supporting her patients, who gave her the nickname “The Lady with the Lamp.” Within six months of her arrival, the mortality rate in the hospital reduced from 42% to 2%. In recognition of her tireless work during the war, she was awarded an engraved brooch from Queen Victoria and a prize of $250,000 from the British government, which she used to establish the Nightingale School of Nursing at St. Thomas’ Hospital. Opened in 1860, her hospital redefined the nursing profession and working methods and established nursing as a respectable job for women. Nightingale also promoted and funded numerous healthcare reforms and facilities, such as the district nursing training program for improving home health care for the poor and the midwives’ school at King’s College Hospital. Close to the Crimean Memorial are many statues and historic locations, such as the Edith Cavell Memorial at St. Martin’s Place, the Fourth Plinth and Nelson’s Column at Trafalgar Square, The Women of World War II monument at Whitehall, the Mother and Child statue at St. James’s Square, St. James’s Palace, and St. James’s Church. Read more...

On the corner of Gordon Square, near her childhood home in Bloomsbury, stands a bronze bust of Noor Inayat Khan, commemorating the British-Indian agent who worked in France during WWII and was tortured and killed by the Germans. The Noor Memorial Trust led a two-year campaign to erect it and chose the sculptress Karen Newman created it. On November 8th, 2012, Princess Anne unveiled it. It was the first freestanding memorial in the UK to honor a woman of Asian background. Noor-un-Nisa Inayat Khan (1914-1944) was born in Moscow to an Indian-Sufi father and an American mother. Several months later, the family moved to London and settled in Bloomsbury. In 1920, they relocated to France, where Khan studied child psychology and music; she became a writer, publishing poetry and children’s stories in French and English. Following the outbreak of WWII, the family returned to England. Though Khan was a pacifist and supporter of Indian independence, she wanted to contribute to the war effort, so in November 1940, she joined the Women’s Auxiliary Air Force (WAAF) and trained as a radio operator. Later, the F(France) Section of the Special Operations Executive recruited her and sent her to France as part of a sabotage force in February 1943, the first woman to serve as an undercover radio operator in occupied Europe. In June, the Gestapo began to hunt down her unit, and within a few months, she was among the few operators still working. On October 13th, 1943, Khan was captured, and during the 11 months of her imprisonment and frequent questioning and torturing, she refused to hand over information. Eventually, she was sent to the Dachau camp, where she was shot dead on September 12th, 1944. She was 30 years old. In 1949, she was posthumously awarded the George Cross for her heroism and resilience during the war. Near Gordon Square are the Tavistock Square Gardens, the home of the Virginia Woolf bust and Louisa Brandreth Aldrich-Blake Statue. Other attractions and historical sites nearby include The British Museum, The foundling museum, St George’s Church, Seven Dials Market, and October Gallery. Read more...

At Tavistock Square, close to the house where she lived and wrote many of her novels from 1924 to 1939, stands a bronze bust of the prominent British writer Virginia Woolf. The Virginia Woolf Society of Great Britain erected it on June 26th, 2004, creating a replica of the bust that Stephen Tomlin had sculpted in 1931, which still stands in the National Portrait Gallery. Virginia Woolf (1882-1941) was one of the most important modernist 20th-century authors and an early proponent of stream-of-consciousness storytelling. From a young age, she was an avid reader and writer. Attending the Ladies’ Department of King’s College London (1897-1901) introduced her to women’s rights and equality and influenced her views and writing. During her lifetime, Woolf published dozens of novels, short stories, essays, dramas, memoirs, and autobiographical writing. Family tragedies and mental illness caused her to be institutionalized several times, and by the age of 59, Woolf took her own life by drowning herself in the River Ouse at Lewes. Years after her death, her work influenced and helped define the feminist movement of the 1970s, especially following the groundbreaking book A Room of One’s Own. Her writings are still being studied in universities and inspiring notable authors. The statue’s location is at the Bloomsbury district, known as the intellectual and literary hub for London, where in the first half of the 20th century, Woolf created and worked, along with the Bloomsbury Group of associated English intellectuals, philosophers, and artists. There are several educational institutions in the area, such as the University College London and the University of London. You can also visit the British Museum and continue to Russell Square and Covent Garden, which are not far. Read more...

In the corner of Christchurch Gardens in the heart of London stands a bronzed scroll sculpture in the shape of the letter S commemorating the women and men who fought for the legal voting right of women in the UK. The text of the scroll reads: “This tribute is erected by the Suffragette Fellowship to commemorate the courage and perseverance of all those men and women who in the long struggle for votes for women selflessly braved derision, opposition, and ostracism, many enduring physical violence and suffering. Nearby Caxton Hall was historically associated with women’s suffrage meetings & deputations to Parliament.” On both sides of the scroll is the sign of the badge of the Women’s Social and Political Union and the Women’s Freedom League, known as the Holloway brooch. In 1926, Edith How-Martyn founded the Suffragette Fellowship organization to preserve, document, and commemorate the women and men who fought for women’s emancipation. The organization formed an archive, created educational programs, and held annual commemorative events on memorable dates, such as Emmeline Pankhurst’s birthday, the first militant protest, the suffrage victories of the 1918 Qualification of Women Act and the 1928 Equal Franchise Act. They also commissioned Lorne McKean and Edwin Russell to create this memorial and unveiled it on July 14th, 1970, Pankhurst’s birthday, with the presence of living suffragettes. This memorial stands next to Caxton Hall, a historic building where the Women’s Social and Political Union met. Read more...

In celebration of the 150th anniversary of the founding of the Salvation Army, a statue of co-founder Catherine Booth was unveiled near the site where it was founded in 1865. It stands next to the statue of her husband, Willian, unveiled in 1979. Both are replicas of the sculptures that stand at the entrance of the William Booth Memorial Training College, the headquarters of the Salvation Army leadership and officer training, and were sculptured by George Edward Wade in 1929. Catherine Mumford Booth (1829-1890) was born in Ashbourne into a devoted Christian family. Her poor health confined her to the house and made her a serious girl who read a lot and became active in the Temperance Society. She got expelled from her Wesleyan Methodists congregation for her reformist views and established a Sunday school class for the reformers’ girls. At the time, she met the Methodist minister William Booth, and they got married in 1855. Booth developed feminist views, advocating for the right of women to preach the gospel. In the following years, she followed her values and became a preacher in the Methodist Church. In her preaches, she focused on poverty and injustice and was especially eager to help people who struggle with alcoholism. In 1865, Booth and her husband founded the East London Christian Mission, renamed The Salvation Army in 1878. In this charitable missionary organization, the couple helped underprivileged people, mainly prostitutes, alcoholics, and gamblers, to fulfill their “physical and spiritual needs.” Today, the Salvation Army has 1.7 million members (salvationists), active in 132 countries, operates homeless shelters and charity shops, and provides humanitarian aid. She became known as the Mother of The Salvation Army. To celebrate the 150th anniversary of the Salvation Army, the women of the Salvation Army in the United States donated the statue. It depicts Booth in her Salvation Army uniform; her left hand holds a Bible close to her heart, while the right reaches out open. The inscription on the pedestal reads: HERE, IN EAST LONDON, CATHERINE BOOTH TOGETHER WITH HER HUSBAND, WILLIAM, COMMENCED THE WORK OF THE SALVATION ARMY JULY 1865. THIS STATUE WAS UNVEILED BY COMMISSIONER SILVIA COX AND COMMISSIONER NANCY ROBERTS ON 2ND JULY 2015, THE 150TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE SALVATION ARMY. Read more...

In the Pit Lobby of the Royal Opera House stands the bust of Dame Ninette de Valois, the dancer, choreographer, and artistic director who founded the Royal Ballet. Ninette de Valois (1898-2001) was born Edris Stannus in Ireland, but since she was seven, she lived with her grandmother in Kent, England. At ten, Stannus began to take ballet classes and joined the Lila Field Academy for Children, performing in various venues around London. At the time, she changed her name to sound more French, as was required of ballerinas. At 21, she received her first role as a principal dancer at Beecham Opera, and not long after, she joined the esteemed Ballets Russes, performing as a soloist throughout Europe. In 1924, 26 years old de Valois had to take a recess from dancing following an injury caused by undiagnosed childhood polio. She took this opportunity to establish her own dancing school and founded the Academy of Choreographic Arts for girls, with a sister branch in Dublin. In 1928, she was invited to coach and train dancers at the Old Vic Theatre. Three years later, she relocated her school to the Sadler’s Wells Theatre under its new name – the Sadler’s Wells Ballet School. In 1956, Queen Elizabeth II granted de Valois’s company and school a Royal Charter, transforming it into the Royal Ballet. De Valois’s productions were both Russian classics and original, in which she created a distinctly English style of choreography, drawing from English tradition and themes. She retired from her position as director of the Royal Ballet at age 65 but continued to head the school and serve as patron of several ballet companies in England and Ireland. She died at the age of 102. The bronze bust of Ninette de Valois was sculpted in 1964 by the Irish surrealist sculptor Frederick Edward McWilliam. De Valois donated a copy to the National Portrait Gallery in 1969. It is unknown when it was unveiled in the Royal Opera House. The Royal Opera House occasionally offers behind-the-scene guided tours, providing a sneak pick of how the theatre works and introducing interesting details about its history. Outside the Royal Opera House stands the famous statue of the Young Dancer by Enzo Plazotta. Other nearby sites include the Covent Garden Market, the Theatre Royal Drury Lane, the Bow Street Police Museum, and London Film Museum. Read more...

On November 16th, 2022, the first full-size bronze statue of Virginia Woolf, one of the most significant authors of the 20th century and a feminist and LGBT icon, was dedicated. The arts and education organization Aurora Metro initiated the erection of the statue and chose the sculptress Laury Dizengremel to create it. It stands on Heron Square, Richmond-on-Thames, celebrating the life of Woolf in Richmond, where she developed as a writer and cofounded with her husband, Hogarth Press. The bronze statue features Woolf sitting on a bench overlooking Richmond riverside, welcoming the visitor to join her, enjoy the view, and take a picture. Virginia Woolf (1882-1941) was born in London into a wealthy family. She began to write from an early age, mainly for her family’s amusement, but later she used her gift to cope with grief after her parents passed away. Woolf studied classics and history at the Ladies’ Department of King’s College London and began developing her feminist views. At the time, she became associated with the Bloomsbury group, which included many writers, philosophers, artists, and intellectuals. Nonconformist in her writing, Woolf experimented with different kinds of narratives, breaking the conventions of the Victorian literature structure and inventing new forms of storytelling, including what is today called a Stream of Consciousness. In 1912, at 30, she married the author and publisher Leonard Woolf, and two years later, the couple moved to Richmond-on-Thames, where they lived for the next ten years before making their house in East Sussex their permanent home. In 1915, she published the novel The Voyage Out, the first of dozens of novels, short stories, dramas, essays, and autobiographic memoirs to come. Her most famous work include Mrs. Dalloway, To the Lighthouse, The Years, and the revolutionary essay, A Room of One’s Own. Throughout her life, Woolf struggled with her mental health and tried to commit suicide several times. On March 28th, 1941, she put stones in her coat pockets and drowned herself in the river behind her house in the village of Rodmell. She was 51 years old. Read more...

Ada Salter statue is one of the figures in Dr. Salter’s Daydream group statue, together with her husband and daughter, standing on the south bank of the River Thames in Bermondsey. Ada Salter (1866-1942) was a social reformer, environmentalist, pacifist, and politician. Salzer was born, raised, and was active in the Methodist church in Northamptonshire. In her 30s, she moved to the Bermondsey Settlement in south-east London, where she met her future husband, the physician Alfred Salter. In 1900, the couple married, lived in Bermondsey, and dedicated themselves to improving the lives of poor people in the area. Their only daughter, Joyce, sadly died from Scarlet Fever when she was only eight. The couple endlessly served the people in Bermondsey and were involved in local politics. Alfred treated anyone in need for little or no payment many times. He served on the Bermondsey Borough Council, the London County Council, and later as a Member of Parliament. Ada co-founded and led the Women’s Labour League and the National Gardens Guild. She was elected to Bermondsey borough council, one of the first women councilors in London, promoted slum demolition, building model council houses, developing urban gardening, and improving the air quality. In 1922, she became Bermondsey’s Mayor, continued executing the beautification and housing programs, and planted 9000 trees by the 1930s, transforming the Borough of Bermondsey from an industrial slum into a green area. In 1991, the London Docklands commissioned the statue of Dr. Alfred Salter, and artist Diane Gorvin designed and sculptured it. Then, Alfred was depicted sitting on a bench, watching his daughter playing with her cat. In November 2011, the statue of Dr. Salter was presumably stolen by metal thieves, and the rest of the sculptures were kept safe in storage. The Salter Statues Campaign group raised £60,000, and the Southwark Council matched, and on 30 November 2014, the statues were rededicated with the addition of Ada’s statue. Her statue was the first statue of a female politician in London. Ada is depicted holding a shovel in her hand, symbolizing the many plants she planted in Bermondsey. The statue is a 1-km walking distance from the Ada Salter Garden in Southwark Park in the heart of Bermondsey. Read more...