This article was originally published by Ben Fox at The Moorlander
After a long campaign led by former television presenter Alexis Bowater, the first statue of the first woman in Parliament has been crafted at a factory in Limehouse before it gets erected in the constituency which she served.
Nancy Astor was the first female MP to take a seat in Westminster in 1919 as the representative for Plymouth Sutton. A century on, the bronze Nancy is a result of a £125,000 crowdfunding project.
The honour of designing the statue was the result of a competition. The committee and judging panel made the decision on February 14th to award the commission of the piece to Hayley Gibbs, an artist, sculptor and stone carver.
The following quote by Lady Nancy Astor will feature on the statue too:
“Real education should educate us out of self into something far finer; into a selflessness which links us with all humanity.”
Hayley Gibbs provided the following information in her original sculpture proposal: “This design, traditional in its materials of bronze and stone, speaks to the courage and tenacity of Nancy Astor; holding its own on the grand expanse of the Hoe in the company of such impressive maritime heroes and memorials.
Alexis Bowater
