A statue honoring the UK’s first professional female landscape gardener, who designed over 75 parks and gardens in London, has been unveiled in south-west London.
The bronze likeness of Fanny Wilkinson, born 170 years ago, now stands on a restored Edwardian drinking fountain in Coronation Gardens, Wandsworth.
Dr. Nicola Stacey, the director of the Heritage of London Trust, remarked that many of the gardens designed by Ms. Wilkinson included public drinking fountains, often in tribute to notable individuals.
“It is especially appropriate that Fanny should now have her own fountain, and we anticipate it becoming a symbol for the local community,” she commented.
The statue, crafted by sculptor Gillian Brett from London, is located in one of the numerous parks designed by Ms. Wilkinson.
Brett stated, “Fanny Wilkinson dedicated years to creating public gardens, ensuring that green spaces and accessible drinking water were available for all to enjoy. It is a genuine delight to play a part in honoring her groundbreaking achievements through my sculpture.”
Juliet Rix, the author of the recently released book *London’s Statues of Women*, described Ms. Wilkinson’s statue as a wonderful addition to the park.
“It’s fascinating to observe the evolution of women’s representation in statues,” she noted.
“The first independent statue of a woman in London was erected in 1897.”
According to Rix, there have been a “scattering” of other statues honoring women, adding, “In the past three to four years, the number of statues of women unveiled in London has surpassed the total from the latter half of the 20th century.”
Born in Manchester in 1855, Ms. Wilkinson was the sole female student in her course at the Crystal Palace School of Landscape Gardening and Practical Horticulture in Sydenham in 1883.
A year later, she was appointed as the honorary gardener for the Metropolitan Public Gardens Association. This position evolved into a professional role two years afterward, with compensation.
In a 1890 interview, she declared, “I certainly do not allow myself to be underpaid as many women do… I know my profession and charge accordingly, as all women should.”
Wilkinson was also a suffragist, an advocate for sanitary and political reform, and a proponent of women’s education and rights.
