A giant Suffragette Lego statue is being exhibited at The University of Edinburgh with the aim of educating residents on the story of women’s suffrage in the UK.
Made using 32,000 Lego bricks, the statue will be on full view from July 4 until July 25 at 7-8 Chambers Street.
‘Hope’ will be displayed at the capital university alongside information boards that describe the history of suffrage in Scotland.
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Edinburgh uni alumni who inspired change for the treatment of women will also be on display as part of the exhibition.
Built by The Lego Group in 2018, Hope took three people 171 hours to build, using 32,327 Lego bricks.
Hope was chosen as her name following a public poll. She was created for the UK Parliament’s Education and Engagement team and was originally displayed in the House of Commons.
She is currently touring the UK until 2028’s celebration of the 100th anniversary of the 1928 Representation of People (Equal Franchise) Act that gave equal voting rights to all women and men.
Over the next five years, Hope will visit every region and nation of the UK to encourage conversations about women’s suffrage and democratic voting rights, and to explore local stories of the suffrage campaign.
The University’s own inspirational women include the famous Edinburgh Seven – Mary Anderson, Emily Bovell, Matilda Chaplin, Helen Evans, Sophia Jex-Blake, Edith Pechey and Isabel Thorne.
The group began studying medicine at the University in 1869, but were ultimately prevented from graduating.
The campaign they fought ultimately led to a change in the law to allow women to study medicine in the UK. It also put the rights of women to a university education on the national political agenda, which eventually resulted in legislation to ensure that women could study at university in 1877.
In 2019, the University’s Chancellor Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal visited the University to commemorate the Edinburgh Seven as they were awarded posthumous honorary degrees.
Another pioneering graduate was Chrystal MacMillan, who was the University's first female science graduate and was also a well-known suffragist and peace activist.
Chrystal was a prominent voice in the women's rights movement, working for the Scottish Federation of Women’s Suffrage Societies and campaigning throughout Scotland.
In 1908, she made history when she became the first woman to plead before the House of Lords, presenting her case that female university graduates should be given the right to vote.
Lesley McAra, assistant principal and director of the institute for advanced studies in the humanities (IASH) at Edinburgh uni, said: “We are honoured to be able to host Hope at the University.
“We encourage people to visit the statue and find out more about the Suffragette movement and what its legacy means for women’s rights and gender equality.”
