Historic England objects to ‘arbitrary’ move for Pankhurst statue

A STATUE of suffragette Emmeline Pankhurst must not be moved, Historic England has said, as it weighed in on a row over the sculpture’s relocation.

The heritage group objected to an application by The Pankhurst Trust, set up by former Tory MP Sir Neil Thorne, to move the bronze from Victoria Tower Gardens, near the House of Lords, to Regent’s University in Regent’s Park, because of the historical association between Bedford College, which used to stand in the park, and the suffragette movement.

The bid has been met with anger from critics who have suggested any move would be an “act of vandalism”.

In a letter to Westminster city council, Michael Dunn, Historic England’s principal inspector of historic buildings and areas, wrote: “The proposal to erect a new, larger statue of Emmeline Pankhurst at Canning Green could mitigate the harm to some extent, and high quality public sculpture commemorating historically important figures … is generally something we can welcome when in an appropriate location. However, public access to the currently listed statue in its proposed new location would be of limited public benefit given the private nature of this site, which … has no historic connection to Pankhurst and thus seems arbitrary.”

Westminster city council is still consulting on the application.