This is the memorial to Emmeline Pankhurst, the leader of the suffragettes who campaigned for women's right to vote. She died in 1928, a month before all adult women could finally vote in elections.
The memorial is by A G Walker, who also sculpted Florence Nightingale in Waterloo Place. It was unveiled in 1930 by the Prime Minister, Stanley Baldwin, who had opposed votes for women. Musicians from the Metropolitan Police, some of whom had arrested the suffragettes during demonstrations, asked to play for the ceremony.
The statue shows one of Mrs Pankhurst's familiar gestures. She was a great public speaker and often went to the theatre to copy the voices of her favourite actors. Inside the pedestal, there is a metal box containing Mrs Pankhurst's letters and the obituary to her in The Times.
Emmeline Pankhurst is buried in Brompton Cemetery where you can visit her gravestone, see the Brompton Cemetery Map for location details.
