Sylvia Pankhurst Plaque

At Sylvia Pankhurst Plaque, a remarkable story unfolds. The Sylvia Pankhurst Plaque stands as a testament to a woman who dedicated her life to fighting for women’s rights. It’s located at 120 Cheyne Walk in Chelsea, where Sylvia lived from 1906 to 1909. This plaque, erected in 1985, commemorates her tireless efforts in the women’s suffrage movement. Sylvia, daughter of Emmeline Pankhurst, another prominent suffragette, carved her own path in the fight for equality. Sylvia combined her work with the Women’s Social and Political Union with her art studies at the Royal College of Art. Her activism often landed her in prison. The first time was in 1906, the same year she moved to Cheyne Walk. In 1913, Sylvia took a bold step. She founded the East London Federation of Suffragettes and launched the newspaper *The Dreadnought*. Later, she penned *The Suffragette Movement* (1931). This book offered one of the earliest comprehensive accounts of the struggle for voting rights. The First World War created a divide in the Pankhurst family. While Emmeline and Christabel supported the war, Sylvia became a staunch pacifist and socialist. She became involved with the Communist Party of Great Britain and wrote powerful articles in *The Dreadnought*. Sylvia’s life took another turn when she became a vocal opponent of Italian fascism. She was particularly outraged by the invasion of Ethiopia in 1935-36. She even started the *New Times and Ethiopia Times* which became a leading English-language source on Ethiopian affairs. Her commitment to Ethiopia led her to move to Addis Ababa in 1956, where she lived until her death in 1960. Interestingly, the Greater London Council initially rejected a proposal for a plaque in Sylvia’s honor in 1980. However, they reversed their decision two years later, on the centenary of her birth. The Sylvia Pankhurst Plaque, marking her residence at 120 Cheyne Walk, is a tribute to her enduring legacy in the fight for women’s rights. It stands as a reminder of her courage, dedication, and unwavering commitment to social justice.