A series of celebrations marking the achievements of Suffolk’s “most famous daughter” is being held around the centenary of her death.
Described as a “remarkable woman of national renown”, Elizabeth Garrett Anderson will be remembered through tributes to her many faceted accomplishments in the fields of medicine, education and women’s rights.
Museum exhibitions, play performances and film screenings will be held in Aldeburgh and Leiston - the two towns where her connection is most strongly felt.
Supported by local councils, businesses and heritage organisations, the celebrations will culminate in a commemorative weekend from October 6-8 featuring lectures from esteemed historians and a renowned actress, musical performances and a family reunion.
As a longer-term memorial, the weekend events will also include the unveiling of a plaque at St Peter and St Paul’s Church in Aldeburgh. There are also plans to set up bursary fund in her name to support local young people.
“Aldeburgh and Leiston plan to celebrate the life and achievements of their most famous daughter, Elizabeth Garrett Anderson,” said a spokesman for the celebrations.
“She was a remarkable woman of national renown. We want to honour her contribution to the local area as well as national work in women’s rights, especially in education and medicine.”
The daughter of Newson Garrett, a successful Aldeburgh businessman who developed Snape Maltings, Elizabeth became the first woman to qualify as a doctor in Britain in 1865 after overcoming opposition from the male medical establishment.
In 1872, she opened the New Hospital for Women in London and the following year became the first female member of the British Medical Association. A wing of Ipswich Hospital takes her name.
After retiring to Aldeburgh with her husband in 1902, she went on to become the first woman to be elected mayor, a role she held in the town from 1908.
Together with her sister Millicent Fawcett, who will be the first woman honoured with a statue in Parliament Square, Elizabeth also took a keen interest in the suffrage movement.
Elizabeth died on December 17, 1917, and is buried in Aldeburgh churchyard.
Supporting events in the coming months include:
- June 9 onwards: A Woman of Purpose exhibitions at The Long Shop Museum, Leiston, and Aldeburgh Moot Hall Museum
- June 10: The Life of Elizabeth Garrett Anderson at The Long Shop Museum, a talk by Diana Quick
- July 21-August 18: Family Trail celebrating the New Hospital for Women at The Long Shop Museum
- August 16: Workshop Wednesday: Marvellous Medicine!, a drop-in for families to get hands-on history and science with experiments and activities
- September 30-October 1: A Woman of Purpose at the Long Shop Museum, a promenade play
- October 5: Make More Noise at Aldeburgh Cinema Studio, a BFI compilation of films about Suffragettes
- October 6-8: Commemoration Weekend
See the Long Shop or Elizabeth Garrett Anderson’s website for full details.
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