The first statue of a woman ever to stand in London’s Parliament Square has been given planning permission by Westminster City Council.
A bronze statue of leading suffragist Millicent Fawcett will be unveiled next year, marking one hundred years since women first gained the right to vote.
The casting has been created by Turner Prize-winning artist Gillian Wearing – and will also be the first statue designed by a woman to be erected in the historic square.
Part of a wave of centenary celebrations taking place in the capital next year, Fawcett will join 11 others, including Mahatma Gandhi, Nelson Mandela and Winston Churchill.
We want this statue to depict the strength and determination of the women who dedicated their lives to the fight for women’s suffrage
“This will be one of the most momentous and significant statues of our time,” Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said.
JUST ANNOUNCED: plans for the Millicent Fawcett statue, the first ever of a woman in Parliament Square, are approved https://t.co/8DDZYvLnHP
— Sadiq Khan (@SadiqKhan) September 19, 2017