Statue of Alice Hawkins
The Statue of Alice Hawkins stands in the heart of Leicester's Market Place, a striking bronze monument that pays tribute to one of the city's most remarkable and often overlooked historical figures. Alice Hawkins was a prominent suffragette and trade union activist who fought tirelessly for women's rights in the early twentieth century, and this statue — unveiled in 2018 — ensures that her legacy is honoured in the city where she spent much of her life and conducted her activism. The work commemorates not just Hawkins personally but the broader struggle for women's suffrage and workers' rights, making it a site of deep civic and political significance. Leicester itself had strong links to the suffragette movement, and this monument gives that history a permanent, visible presence in one of the city's most bustling public spaces.
Alice Hawkins was born in 1863 and worked as a machinist in Leicester's boot and shoe industry, a trade that gave her first-hand experience of the exploitation faced by working-class women. She became a committed member of the Women's Social and Political Union, founded by Emmeline Pankhurst, and was arrested and imprisoned five times for her suffragette activities, enduring force-feeding during hunger strikes. Beyond the campaign for the vote, Hawkins was a dedicated trade unionist who fought for fair wages and better conditions for women workers. Her life embodied the intersection of class struggle and gender politics in a way that speaks powerfully to both historical and contemporary audiences.
The sculpture itself was created by Alan Wilson and depicts Alice Hawkins standing in a confident, forward-looking pose, her bearing conveying determination and dignity. She is portrayed in period dress, reflecting the Edwardian era in which she lived, and holds a banner associated with the suffragette cause. The bronze has the warm, solid presence that good public sculpture commands, drawing the eye amid the daily commerce and movement of the market. Visitors often pause to read the inscribed information around the plinth, which provides context about Hawkins's life and the suffragette movement in Leicester, and the statue frequently serves as an informal gathering point and meeting spot.
The surrounding area of Leicester Market Place is one of the oldest and most vibrant parts of the city. The outdoor market, one of the largest in Europe, sprawls nearby with its stalls of fresh produce, clothing, and goods, giving the location a lively, working-class energy that feels entirely appropriate for a monument to a woman who was herself a factory worker and trade unionist. The historic Guildhall and Leicester Cathedral are both within easy walking distance, as is the Jewry Wall Roman site and the King Richard III Visitor Centre, making the immediate neighbourhood exceptionally rich in historical interest. The area is pedestrianised and animated throughout the day with shoppers, workers, and visitors.
Getting to the Statue of Alice Hawkins is straightforward. Leicester city centre is well-served by bus routes from across the region, and Leicester railway station is approximately a fifteen-minute walk away, with frequent services from London St Pancras, Birmingham, and other major cities. The statue sits in an open, publicly accessible space and can be visited at any time of day or night, with no admission charge. The Market Place is most vibrant during market trading hours on weekdays and Saturdays, when the atmosphere reflects the working-city spirit that defined Hawkins's own life. The area is wheelchair accessible and the paved square around the statue is level and easy to navigate.
One of the more moving aspects of the statue's unveiling in 2018 was the involvement of Alice Hawkins's own descendants, who attended the ceremony alongside local dignitaries and activists. The project was driven significantly by local community campaigners who felt that Leicester's suffragette heritage had been insufficiently recognised in public space, particularly given that women's suffrage was granted (in partial form) exactly a century before the statue's installation. The monument thus arrived at a symbolic centenary moment, part of a national wave of recognition for the suffragette movement and a local effort to ensure that working-class women's contributions to history are not overshadowed by more famous names. It stands as a reminder that the fight for equality was waged not just in grand halls but in factories, prisons, and market squares much like the one in which the statue now stands.