A Sculpture for Mary Wollstonecraft

A Sculpture for Mary Wollstonecraft is a bronze and granite sculpture on Newington Green in the London Borough of Islington and features a small silver female figure emerging from an abstract mass of undulating bronze forms. The entire work rests on a black granite base and stands freely accessible on the green opposite the Unitarian church.

Artist Maggi Hambling created the memorial in 2020 to honor Mary Wollstonecraft, who published her book "A Vindication of the Rights of Woman" in 1792 and laid an important foundation for later movements. The unveiling marked a turning point in the discussion about the representation of women in British memorial culture.

The inscription on the base includes Wollstonecraft's statement "I do not wish women to have power over men but over themselves" and picks up a central theme from her work. The small female figure stands symbolically for the path to self-determination and often serves as a starting point for conversations about equality among people walking through the green.

The memorial stands opposite Newington Green Unitarian Church and can be visited freely at any time, as it is placed openly on the green. Those who wish to view the sculpture up close can walk around it from all sides and study the details of the bronze work and the inscription on the base.

Funding for the project took a decade and required the efforts of hundreds of volunteers who collected donations and worked to persuade supporters. The long preparation time shows how much effort was needed to realize the first public statue in London for a real woman who was not part of the royal family.