Statue of Betty Campbell
The Statue of Betty Campbell, sculpted by Eve Shepherd, was unveiled in 2021 at Central Square in Cardiff, Wales. It commemorates Betty Campbell, who was the first Black headteacher in Wales. The statue was the result of a public campaign to address the lack of statues of named women in Cardiff. After the Race Council Cymru called for a memorial to Campbell, the BBC’s 2019 Hidden Heroines campaign invited a public vote to choose Cardiff’s first statue of a named woman. Campbell was selected from a shortlist that included four other women, and the statue was then placed in Central Square.
December 2021 © Seth Whales · CC BY-SA 4.0
September 2022 © David Hillas · CC BY-SA 2.0
October 2022 © Stephen Craven · CC BY-SA 2.0
October 2021 © 14GTR · CC BY-SA 4.0
September 2022 © David Hillas · CC BY-SA 2.0
Identification | |
| Title | Statue of Betty Campbell |
| Type | statue |
Iconography and meaning | |
| Subject | Betty Campbell |
Creator | |
| Sculptor | Eve Shepherd |
Historical context | |
| Context | The statue was proposed amid concern about the lack of statues of real women in Cardiff compared with many statues of famous men |
| Comparison mentioned | At the time, the only statue of a woman who had actually lived in Cardiff was Boudicca in front of City Hall |
| Related civic initiative | Monumental Welsh Women task force, organised in 2016 by Helen Molyneux, Carolyn Hitt, and the Welsh Women's Equality Network to address the imbalance of women's statues |
| Purpose | memorial statue in memory of Betty Campbell |
| Historical significance of subject | Betty Campbell was the first Black headteacher in Wales |
Discovery and provenance | |
| Reason for commissioning | Race Council Cymru called for a statue in her memory after her death |
| Public campaign | BBC's Hidden Heroines campaign |
| Selection method | Chosen by public vote from a shortlist of five women |
| Commissioned after | Betty Campbell's death at age 82 on 13 October 2017 |
| Announcement date | 18 January 2019 |
| Winner of public vote | Betty Campbell |
| Artist selection | Chosen from a shortlist of three artists |
| Funding | Funded by private donations, businesses, crowdfunding, and the Welsh government |
| Shortlisted candidates | Cranogwen (Sarah Jane Rees), Lady Rhondda (Margaret Haig Thomas), Elizabeth Andrews, Elaine Morgan, and Betty Campbell |
Physical characteristics | |
| Height | 4 metres |
Materials | |
| Material | Cast bronze |
Appearance | |
| Main form | Betty Campbell's head and shoulders form a canopy |
| Additional features | Small bronze chairs designed to be sat on |
| Base elements | Small bronze models of Tiger Bay landmarks, including the Pierhead Building and the Wales Millennium Centre |
| Base figures | Ten bronze children of varying ages at the base |
Location and ownership | |
| Unveiling location | Central Square, Cardiff, Wales |
| Planned location | The plaza of Central Square, Cardiff |
History and restoration | |
| Planned unveiling | 2020 |
| Delay cause | COVID-19-related restrictions |
| Unveiling date | 29 September 2021 |
| Unveiled | 2021 |
Significance | |
| Intended significance | An iconic landmark that people would travel to Cardiff just to see |
| Elaine Clarke's interpretation | The design encapsulates her mother and preserves her legacy of determination, aspiration, and inspiration for future generations |
Other | |
| Elaine Clarke | Betty Campbell's daughter |
| Included in media | An image of the statue appeared in the video accompanying the official Wales World Cup song in 2022 |