No-one could call Eastleigh Town Centre a pretty place.
But something that Eastleigh gets exactly right is its statues. There is the generic son of industrial toil: the Railwayman, tribute to the town’s railway heritage. Then there is Charlotte Yonge, a Victorian novelist who named the town. Charlotte is very unusual in England – a female statue who isn’t Queen Victoria, a minor nineteenth century royal or a mythical angel type figure on a war memorial (though Eastleigh has one of those too).
Here they both are (above), Charlotte and the Railwayman, decorated for Pride last year.
* Ruth Bright has been a councillor in Southwark and Parliamentary Candidate for Hampshire East
Follow @libdemvoice.org on Bluesky
Like us on Facebook
Subscribe to our feed
Sign-up for our daily email digest
Reform's crypto dependency
Wandering the backstreets of Shrewsbury
Liberal Democrats Should Mean More than "Business"
Councillor Graham Oakes selected for Bridgwater
Reform's foundations of rubbish
Burnham Blunders Big Style over planning
William Wallace
expats
David Allen
David Raw
Catherine Hodgkinson
6 Comments
I’ve read 2 or 3 of Charlotte Yonge’s novels; unfortunately they are not wonderful. Pity.
Jane Ann – I have to admit I went to a local school event featuring images of Charlotte Yonge and suggested the Year 10s stick to the work of Austen and Bronte!
As a lifelong reader of Charlotte Yonge’s books I can testify that they are well worth reading. She was an incredible person.
Lynne – I am duly chastised! Which book should I attempt again?
Not having read any Charlotte Yonge I cannot comment on her virtues or otherwise as an author but I would put money on her being non-controversial, white & probably middle(ish) class, thus not overtly threatening to white, Anglo-Saxon, Protestant men.
Also interesting / significant that thus far only women have seen fit to comment?
Interesting points Georgina. It shows a certain cowardice on my part that I didn’t complain about the plaque to Benny Hill just a couple of streets away from Charlotte. I am sure that would have secured this piece a wider audience!