Celebrating Sylvia Pankhurst

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An exhibition at the Redbridge Museum recently featured an ‘A’ type Edward VII pillar box from the BPMA Collection. The exhibition, entitled ‘Celebrating Sylvia Pankhurst’ opened 7 April 2008 and runs until 21 June 2008.


Sylvia Pankhurst, one of the suffragette leaders who led the campaign for women’s right to vote, lived in Woodford from 1924 to 1956. This local exhibition drew together many objects that reflected Sylvia’s diverse activities and interests. 

Image of students dressed up as suffragettes

Students from West Hatch High School, Chigwell acting out characterisation studies at the opening of the
'Celebrating Sylvia Pankhurst' exhibition at Redbridge Museum, April 2008.

Part of the exhibition was a street scene, depicting the Celebrating Sylvia Pankhurst event when Ethel Haslem, Secretary of the local Women’s  Social and Political Union, was arrested for sticking a suffragette poster to a pillar box.  The BPMA pillar box formed part of this display. At the formal opening event on 2 April, students from West Hatch High School, Chigwell acted out some of the character studies that they had learnt prior to the day.

These included the ‘atrocities against pillar boxes’ and the occasion when a suffragette was ‘posted’ to 10 Downing Street, only to be refused entry by the butler!

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