On Wednesday it is expected that councillors will approve the planning permission for a new statue of Dr Elsie Inglis to be placed on the Royal Mile opposite number 144 High Street.
The statue will be important as it will be the first of a woman erected on the Royal Mile just across the street from where, as a pioneering doctor, Dr Inglis set up a hospice for women at 219 High Street where there is a plaque.
She also created war hospitals in Europe during the First World War. She had been told in 1914 by an official in the War Office to “go home and sit still” and there was nothing that she could do to help. She is recognised as a suffragist and a supporter of women’s education. She raised around £50 million (in today’s money) to fund the Scottish Women’s Hospitals for Foreign Service for which more than 1,000 female doctors, surgeons and nurses volunteered. Dr Inglis was lauded for her work by Serbia – and now it is Edinburgh’s turn. There used to be a hospital bearing her name but now it is time for a more durable memorial.
The planning officers have set out a Protocol Note for the proceedings at the City Chambers on Wednesday morning, and councillors have a summary of the 1300+ documents submitted in relation to this application. Those who will speak include representatives of interested bodies and individuals:
- Natasha Phoenix – Elsie on the Mile
- Ian McFarlane – Dr Elsie Inglis – Scottish Women’s Hospitals’ Trust
- Michael Hill
- Dr Clea Thomson – a relative of Dr Inglis
- Ros Taylor
As well as the people above Fiona Garwood one of the original trustees and a Director from Jewitt and Wilkie will attend and will have 15 minutes to present their case.
The Chief Planning Officer has reminded all participants that “Speakers should keep to “material planning matters” that the Sub-Committee can take into account.”
This means that most of the past events will not be up for discussion – and planners are minded to approve the application subject to lowering the plinth.
You can watch proceedings here on the council webcast either live or as a recording.
The journey to a statue
There will be a full hearing at the Development Management Sub-Committee with contributions from both the applicants – A Statue for Elsie – and also those people and groups who have been vocal in supporting or opposing the statue from a wide variety of views.
The process began in 2017 when a campaign A Statue for Elsie Inglis raised around £50,000 under the umbrella of the Lord Provost’s charity, OneCityTrust. Frank Ross was Lord Provost at the time – just after the 100th anniversary of Dr Inglis’ death and her funeral held at St Giles’ Cathedral. We understand although Mr Ross remains a trustee he will not take part in today’s hearing.
A Statue for Elsie
The charitable body behind the project is A Statue for Elsie Inglis SCIO. The charity’s latest accounts on the OSCR website show it is holding funds of almost £50,000 and there is a fundraiser here on Crowfunder which may still be ongoing amid the increase in costs since the campaign began. The charity’s website no longer exists on the internet as “the account has expired” and the Facebook page was paused some time ago, just after the call to artists was suspended, and the announcement made that Alexander Stoddart, the King’s Sculptor in Ordinary, would design the figure.
Elsie on the Mile
Elsie on the Mile is a group led by sculptor Natasha Phoenix who had wanted to answer the call to artists with a design of her own. The group has firm views against the process during the call to artists which was brought to an abrupt and unexplained halt. They explain that the project to place this first state of a woman on the High Street has their backing but not in its current form. They have now also called he process into question with Audit Scotland. Natasha said: “have said that regardless of the decision tomorrow the entire process and all of the records everything essentially will need to be sent in and it will need to be audited.
“So the procurement of the sculptor which does not match the policy, the money that was kept in one city trust after Frank Ross was no longer Lord Provost. The failure to follow their own policies at Edinburgh council. The huge number of errors in the planning application that have been overlooked and so much more. So whatever happens tomorrow is not the end, even if they approve it.”
She has also talked of the origins of Dr Inglis’ family money and the requirement to acknowledge that this may have come from slavery – although this is unsubstantiated.
Rammy with the Mammies
The Elsie on the Mile campaign has invited their supporters to convene at the spot where the statue is supposed to go just down from the City Chambers on the High Street in Edinburgh, from 9:45 a.m. onwards.
“We will be having a party protest, showing that this spot is historically relevant and important to women’s history. This is the spot of the very first free maternity hospital and milk bank in Edinburgh opened by Elsie Inglis in 1904. The current proposal for a statue on the spot has completely ignored Elsie Ingles legacy of maternity care and medical work with women.
“So let’s remind everyone that women’s history counts, our stories of birth and breastfeeding/bottle feeding are worth celebrating.
We will be providing tea and coffee and home baking. We hope to have some fantastic singers but anyone who wants to sing or wants to bring an instrument please come along. at the same time in the city chambers there will be a vote as to whether the statue will go ahead and we hope that it will be rejected. However whatever happens let’s celebrate women’s history and all of Elsie’s babies in the city.”
Edinburgh World Heritage
The body which looks after the World Heritage Sites in the Old Town and the New Town has no objection to a statue to the doctor born in the 19th century – that is other than the design and the height of the plinth.
They have submitted a letter to the planners in which they say: “Whilst we strongly support the installation of a monument celebrating the life and achievements of an important female figure connected to history of Edinburgh and recognise its positive contribution to the Outstanding Universal Value of the World Heritage Site, we have some concerns about the design as proposed. The original aspiration was for an accessible statue presenting Elsie in a down to earth and more feminine manner. The memorial was expected to draw people to Elsie
and her story and inspire young people, in particular young girls, who see so few contemporary or historic role models interpreted across the historic environment. Presenting Elsie so formally on an extremely high plinth is not in line with the aspirations that we so keenly supported.”
What would Elsie say?
