| Client | Emmeline Pankhurst Statue Project |
|---|---|
| Status | Complete |
| LPA | Manchester City Council |
Immortalising one of Manchester’s most influential historical figures
The project
- We submitted plans for a statue of British Suffragette leader, Emmeline Pankhurst, to be situated in St Peter’s Square, Manchester.
- The nucleus for this scheme was the WoManchester Statue Project, which seeks to celebrate women and address inequality in their representation across Manchester’s statues. The public was invited to vote on a shortlist of women who had made a significant contribution to Manchester and, in many cases, the country.
- An inscribed stone ‘Meeting Circle’ surrounds the statue. The concept development, assisted by our Design team, has evolved the space to one which invites people to enter carefully and with respect to the artistic and cultural message of the structure.
- We provided Planning, Heritage and Townscape, Strategic Communications and Design services for this project, working on a pro-bono basis.
- The statue was unveiled on 14 December 2018, marking the centenary of the women’s vote being exercised for the first time in a general election.
Contribution to meeting UNSDGs
- Gender equality is not only a fundamental human right, but a necessary foundation for a peaceful, prosperous and sustainable world.
- Providing women and girls with equal access to education, health care, decent work, and representation in political and economic decision-making processes will fuel sustainable economies and benefit societies and humanity at large.
- Through Emmeline Pankhurst’s leadership and activism the women’s suffrage campaign was successful in securing votes for women, with the passing of the Representation of the People Act in 1918.
- The statue aids understanding of the role played by Emmeline Pankhurst, an important Mancunian, in the women’s suffrage movement; and provides inspiration to all those who seek gender equality.