Struggle for Suffrage: Workhouse Women and the Vote

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Thursday 8 March (International Women’s Day at The Workhouse, Southwell) - Tuesday 30 October 2018  

In 2018 the National Trust is celebrating Women and Power to mark 100 years since the passing of the Representation of the People Act. At The Workhouse, Southwell; this means shining a light on the stories of local women – both suffragists and those who fought to have their voices heard, in the context of this incredible building. On Thursday 8 March, the National Trust launches the first exhibition from their programme ‘Struggle for Suffrage: Workhouse Women and the Vote.’

The Workhouse volunteers and the East Midlands community textile group, Second Turning, have collaborated to produce a series of unique textile pieces which express the experiences of being a woman at The Workhouse throughout the period of the Suffragettes ‘1918 Votes for Women.’

“The group have created their individual responses through textile art as well as a group piece which uses the pattern of the shift, to express the multiple experiences of being a woman in the period and being a woman in the Workhouse” says Jan Overfield-Shaw, Creative and Community Officer at The Workhouse.              

From Thursday 8 March till Tuesday 30 October, visitors can view this stunning exhibition between 12:00 and 16:00 in The Workhouse. The exhibition will be in all areas of the house and drive the conversation with visitors about the struggle for suffrage and Workhouse women and the vote. Also exibhiting at the museum will be Faces of Change: Votes For Women, which sees 35 photographs, prints, drawings and paintings from the National Portrait Gallery’s collection on show, celebrating key figures in the national campaign for women’s suffrage.

To find out more about The Workhouse and full details of our programme of events ‘Struggle for Suffrage: Workhouse Women and the Vote’ please call: 01636 817260 or visit the website via the link above.