In early October, a new statue in London was unveiled in front of the famous Lindo Wing at St Mary’s Hospital (known for hosting royal births).
Mother Vérité
This seven-foot bronze statue shows and honours the raw, unfiltered reality of motherhood, which is rarely seen in public art.
What’s special about this statue is the realism, which is shown, based on multiple mothers who have been scanned to have elements drawn from them to produce a final realistic model. Mother Vérité is meant to show the universal experience of mothers after childbirth.
You can see this art piece temporarily in Portman Square for the Frieze London Art Fair between 15th and 19th October 2025.
The statue has brought up the conversation, once again, on the ratio of women's statues to men or even animals in London.
Did you know in London, only 4% of statues show named women that isn’t royalty, fewer show mothers, and double are statues of animals!
In this blog, I thought we could look at some statues of women around London, and maybe next time you visit, or if you live in London, you can keep an eye out.
1. Sarah Siddons - 1897
Sarah Siddons is the first statue of a woman that wasn’t royalty or a mythical being in London, created in 1897 by Léon-Joseph Chavalliaud.
She was a Welsh actress in the 18th century and was considered the country’s finest tragic actress, her greatest and most well-known role being Lady Macbeth. In 1812, she dominated the theatre scene, and public interest was very high. When she died in 1831, over 5,000 people attended her funeral.
Location: Paddington Green, W2 1LG
2. Ada Salter - 2014
Ada Salter is part of a group of statues with her child Joyce, her cat and her husband, Dr Alfred Salter. This collection of sculptures illustrates the family’s commitment to the town of Bermondsey. Click Here for a deeper backstory of the family.
Ada was a social reformer and the President of the Women’s Labour League, to promote political representation of women. Ada was the first woman mayor in London and the first Labour woman mayor in the British Isles, while also running clubs and being a social worker.
Location: 10 Bermondsey Wall E, London SE16
3. Mary Seacole - 2016
Mary was born in Jamaica and found her love for medicine from her mother, who taught her traditional Jamaican medicine. Mary is remembered for her commitment to nursing in the Crimean War, 1853-1856. She wasn’t allowed to help with the war efforts, so she made her own way to Crimea, set up a building to use as a hospital and nursed patients back to full health.
At the time, Mary was as popular as Florence Nightingale, and when she returned from her travels, she was held a celebration of four nights on the bank of the River Thames with around 80,000 people attending.
Mary died in 1881, and she was lost to history for 100 years.
She was rediscovered when nurses from the Caribbean visited her grave in 2004, where a campaign for a statue began. The statue was finally unveiled in 2016 in memory of her efforts.
Location: Gardens of St. Thomas Hospital
4. Edith Cavell - 1920
Edith was a British nurse who was stationed in German-occupied Belgium during the First World War. She helped hundreds of French, British and Belgian soldiers escape the Germans. Edith was arrested, tried and executed by firing squad in 1915 after being found leading the operation.
Location: 10 St. Martin's Pl, London WC2N 4JL
5. Joy Battick, Platforms Piece - 1986 - 2023
Three life-sized statues were put up in Brixton railway station in 1986 and are based on the residents of Brixton at the time. Joy was one of the models for the statues and was 26 when it was originally cast.
After being restored in 2023, Joy II was added to the collection, which depicts Joy in her 60s across the platform from her original statue, to show the difference time can make.
