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Emmeline and Christabel Pankhurst Memorial

The Emmeline and Christabel Pankhurst Memorial is a memorial in London honouring Emmeline Pankhurst and her daughter Christabel, two of the foremost British suffragettes. It stands at the entrance to Victoria Tower Gardens, south of Victoria Tower at the southwest corner of the Palace of Westminster. Its main feature is a bronze statue of Emmeline Pankhurst by Arthur George Walker, unveiled in 1930. In 1958, the statue was moved to its current site and bronze reliefs commemorating Christabel Pankhurst were added. An image of the statue later appeared on a 9d UK postage stamp marking the 50th anniversary of the Representation of the People Act, 1918.

Pankhurst Memorial statue on a tiered stone pedestal, with the figure’s arm outstretched outdoors among bare trees.
The Pankhurst Memorial stands on a stone pedestal, showing Emmeline Pankhurst in a dramatic outstretched pose.
February 2007 © · CC BY-SA 2.0
Pankhurst Memorial statue on a tiered stone pedestal in Victoria Tower Gardens, with trees and a low wall behind it.
The Pankhurst Memorial in Victoria Tower Gardens, Westminster, shown with its full-length statue on a stone pedestal.
© · CC BY-SA 2.5
Dark silhouetted bust of the Pankhurst Memorial against a bright sky with wispy clouds and tree branches.
The Pankhurst Memorial seen from below, silhouetted against the sky.
May 2007 © · CC BY 2.0
W.S.P.U. prisoners\' badge plaque on the Pankhurst Memorial stone plinth, with foliage in the background.
A plaque of the W.S.P.U. prisoners\' badge on the Pankhurst Memorial in Victoria Tower Gardens.
© · CC BY 3.0
Workers clean the Pankhurst Memorial pavement with a high-pressure washer beside a wrapped vertical structure.
Cleaning work taking place around the Pankhurst Memorial, with steam and protective covering visible.
February 2020 © · CC BY-SA 4.0

Identification

TitleEmmeline and Christabel Pankhurst Memorial
TypeMemorial statue

Historical context

Historical contextCreated as part of the women's suffrage movement's commemoration of Emmeline Pankhurst

Creator

SculptorArthur George Walker
Architect of pedestal/baseSir Herbert Baker

Discovery and provenance

Main practical difficultyFinding a site for the statue
Legal requirementA special Act of Parliament was required to erect the statue in Victoria Tower Gardens
Parliamentary supporterConservative MP William Bull
Chief Commissioner of Public WorksSir Lionel Earle
Fund objectivesTo arrange a grave monument for Pankhurst, acquire Georgina Brakenbury's portrait of Pankhurst, and erect a public statue
Public reactionSome observers, including Nancy Astor, thought a statue was inappropriate because Pankhurst was not considered 'statuesque' and Britain was in difficult financial times
Fundraising organizerRachel Barrett, editor of The Suffragette
Fund secretariesRosamund Massey and Katherine 'Kitty' Marshall
Fund establishedShortly after Emmeline Pankhurst's death in 1928
Memorial fundPankhurst Memorial Fund

Materials

MaterialBronze

Physical characteristics

Relief sculptorPeter Hills
Left medallion subjectThe WSPU prison brooch or badge
Right medallion subjectA profile bust of Christabel Pankhurst
Additional features added in 1958Bronze reliefs commemorating Christabel Pankhurst and the WSPU
Depicted figureEmmeline Pankhurst
FormA standing statue of Emmeline Pankhurst with arms outstretched, as if addressing a gathered crowd

Location and ownership

LocationEntrance to Victoria Tower Gardens, south of the Victoria Tower at the southwest corner of the Palace of Westminster, London, England
Original siteSouth side of Victoria Tower Gardens
Current siteA position further north in Victoria Tower Gardens near the Houses of Parliament, London
Original planned locationWestminster
Site permissionGranted to Katherine 'Kitty' Marshall after several other locations were rejected

History and restoration

Unveiling anthem'The March of the Women', the anthem of the women's suffrage movement
Listed statusGrade II listed building, designated in 1970
Relocation ensemble unveiled byThe Lord Chancellor, Lord Kilmuir
Relocation ensemble unveiling13 July 1959
Relocation changesThe statue was moved further north in the gardens; a low semicircular stone enclosure was built on both sides, ending in bronze medallions
Relocated1958
Unveiling decoration committee chairPrincess Sophia Duleep Singh
Unveiling musicEthel Smyth conducted the Metropolitan Police Band in an arrangement of 'The March of the Women' and music from her opera The Wreckers; loudspeakers were provided and the platforms were draped in WSPU colors
BandMetropolitan Police Band
Music directorEthel Smyth
Unveiling arrangementsTwo facing platforms were erected near the statue, one for the speakers and one for the band
Unveiling speakersStanley Baldwin, Lady Rhondda, and Fred Pethick-Lawrence
Unveiling speechBaldwin said Pankhurst had won 'a niche in the Temple of Fame' that would last for all time
Unveiled byPrime Minister Stanley Baldwin
Unveiled6 March 1930
Relocation attemptIn August 2018, the Emmeline Pankhurst Trust Limited, led by former Conservative MP Neil Thorne, applied to move the monument from beside Parliament to the private grounds of Regent's University London; the application was withdrawn on 14 September 2018 after 889 objections, including from MPs Caroline Flint and Vicky Ford and activist Caroline Criado-Perez