Model of planned Mary Seacole statue unveiled

A quarter scale model of the planned statue in memory of pioneering nurse Mary Seacole was unveiled yesterday (Tuesday 29 October) at St Thomas' Hospital. It will be the first statue to honour a named black woman in the UK. 

Mary Seacole was Jamaican born of Scottish-Creole descent. She set up a 'British Hotel' behind the lines during the Crimean War, which helped wounded servicemen on the battlefield. She was posthumously awarded the Jamaican Order of Merit in 1991, and in 2004 she was voted the greatest black Briton. 

The commissioned statue will be unveiled in 2015 and will stand in the gardens of St Thomas' opposite the Houses of Parliament.

Visit the Mary Seacole statue appeal Facebook page for more information.