| Statue of Alice Hawkins | |
|---|---|
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| Artist | Sean Hedges-Quinn |
| Year | 2018 |
| Type | Bronze sculpture |
| Dimensions | 2.1 m(7 ft) |
| Location | Leicester, England |
| 52°38′04″N1°08′02″W / 52.6345°N 1.1339°W | |
A statue of suffragette Alice Hawkins is located in Green Dragon Square, Leicester, United Kingdom.
The 7-foot-tall, 800-pound bronze statue was created by sculptor Sean Hedges-Quinn and cast in a foundry in London. It stands on a 4-foot granite plinth and was erected near to the spot Hawkins would have stood when she addressed the public on the topic of women's suffrage. [1] It portrays Hawkins speaking and gesturing with her right arm raised. [1]
The statue is the first statue of a named woman in the county of Leicester. [2] [3]
The statue campaign was initiated and led by city Councillor Adam Clarke from 2012. Clarke formed the 'Alice Hawkins Legacy Group' alongside Hawkins' great-grandson Peter Barratt. The group had the sole aim of fundraising for the statue. City Mayor Sir Peter Soulsby committed to the council's funding of a plinth and ongoing maintenance. Funding provided by trade unions supported a design competition that led to the commissioning of sculptor Sean Hedges-Quinn. The statue itself was funded (£62,400) by local businessman Jamie Lewis' charitable fund. Lewis' student accommodation portfolio includes the sensitively converted factory 'Equity Works', where Alice was employed as a shoe machinist.[ citation needed ]
The statue was unveiled on 4 February 2018, in a ceremony attended by thousands of people, including some of Hawkins' descendants. The unveiling was preceded by a march from Humberstone Gate to the city's new market square. The head of the march included Helen Pankhurst, great-granddaughter of suffragette leader Emmeline Pankhurst. Elaine Pantling, actress and writer of 'Alice in Her Shoes' appeared on the front page of The Guardian and The Scotsman on 5 Feb 2018 leading the march. Images of the unveiling featured in several other national newspapers. The march and unveiling ceremony were covered by BBC, ITV and Sky News and covered live on local radio. Several speakers including Lord Willy Bach (great-nephew of suffragette Emmeline Pankhurst), city mayor Sir Peter Soulsby and Alice's great-grandson Peter Barratt addressed the crowds. The DMU Gospel Choir sang 'Rise Up'. The Statue was unveiled by Alice's great great-granddaughter Kate Barratt, health campaigner Alice Gibbs, Cllr Manjula Sood MBE and Liz Kendall MP. TV and radio arts and news broadcaster Geeta Pendse hosted the ceremony.
The statue was unveiled in the week prior to the centenary of the royal assent of the Representation of the People Act 1918, and was the first of several statues across England to be unveiled during the centenary year. [4] [5]
Emmeline Pankhurst was a British political activist who organised the British suffragette movement and helped women to win in 1918 the right to vote in Great Britain and Ireland. In 1999, Time named her as one of the 100 Most Important People of the 20th Century, stating that "she shaped an idea of objects for our time" and "shook society into a new pattern from which there could be no going back". She was widely criticised for her militant tactics, and historians disagree about their effectiveness, but her work is recognised as a crucial element in achieving women's suffrage in the United Kingdom.
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A suffragette was a member of an activist women's organisation in the early 20th century who, under the banner "Votes for Women", fought for the right to vote in public elections in the United Kingdom. The term refers in particular to members of the British Women's Social and Political Union (WSPU), a women-only movement founded in 1903 by Emmeline Pankhurst, which engaged in direct action and civil disobedience. In 1906, a reporter writing in the Daily Mail coined the term suffragette for the WSPU, derived from suffragistα, in order to belittle the women advocating women's suffrage. The militants embraced the new name, even adopting it for use as the title of the newspaper published by the WSPU.
Sean Hedges-Quinn is a British sculptor, animator, and film model and prop-maker.
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Alice Hawkins was a leading English suffragette among the boot and shoe machinists of Leicester. She went to prison five times for acts committed as part of the Women’s Social and Political Union militant campaign. Her husband Alfred Hawkins was also an active suffragist and received £100 when his kneecap was fractured as he was ejected from a meeting in Bradford. In 2018 a statue of Alice was unveiled in Leicester Market Square.
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