Life-sized Lego Suffragette goes on display

The University of Edinburgh is exhibiting a 32,000 Lego brick statue to help tell the story of women’s suffrage in the UK.

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Image of the top of a life sized lego brick statue of a suffragette

Visitors will be able to view the statue at 7-8 Chambers Street from 4 to 25 July.

‘Hope’ will be displayed at the University alongside information boards about suffrage in Scotland and the University’s inspiring alumni who have helped change the path of history for women.

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.

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.

Lesley McAra

Assistant Principal (Community Relations) and Director of the Institute for Advanced Studies in the Humanities (IASH), the University of Edinburgh

Inspiring women

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Image a life sized lego brick statue of a suffragette
Visitors will be able to view Hope from 4 to 25 July

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.

Related links

The suffragette movement - UK Parliament

Vote 100 | The University of Edinburgh

Gender Equality | The University of Edinburgh

GenderED | The University of Edinburgh

Image credit - Edward Cawood

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2023