GLA Caroline Teo
A statue of suffragist leader Millicent Fawcett was unveiled today in a ceremony in Parliament Square. Created by Turner Prize-winning artist Gillian Wearing OBE, this historic statue is the first ever monument of a woman and the first designed by a woman to stand within the square.
The unveiling ceremony was presented by BBC broadcaster Mishal Husain and featured poet Theresa Lola, a performance from the cast of our co-commission Sylvia and a reading of a text by Millicent Fawcett from award-winning actress, Helen McCrory OBE.
The ceremony also included speeches by Prime Minister, Theresa May; the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan and campaigner Caroline Criado-Perez.
Jenny Waldman said: “The First World War saw seismic changes to women’s roles in society, including the first UK women gaining the right to vote. We are delighted to co-commission this new work by Gillian Wearing, the first-ever statue of a woman in Parliament Square, that recognises the huge contribution of Fawcett and many other people involved in the struggle for universal suffrage.”
