Sculpture showcases role of women in textile industry

A statue paying tribute to the women who harvested and worked the cloth for Victorian mills has been installed in Nottingham.

Standing in this Place features an enslaved African-Caribbean farm worker and British mill worker clasping hands in greeting.

It was placed in the new Green Heart park, where part of the former Broadmarsh shopping centre stood, on Tuesday.

The statue was created by sculptor Rachel Carter and community history project Legacy Makers.

Ms Carter said she was delighted to see the artwork put in place and hoped it raised awareness about the city's history.

"We really wanted to delve into the under-represented, and to give some voice and recognition to the thousands of unnamed women who were the driving forces behind the East Midlands cotton and textile industry," she said.

"It's been such an amazing journey that we've been on together."

The artwork is due to be officially unveiled at a ceremony on Sunday.

Fatou Marong, intern historian for Legacy Makers, said history "doesn't really get as much credit as it should, especially from the black perspective".

"In Nottingham, the black presence has been very strong since the post-war, Windrush era, and when mass migration started to happen," she said.

"But it's a narrative that's been lost, especially in regards to Nottingham's industrial history.

"I mean, Nottingham was built upon cotton lace, yet we don't understand where the cotton came from, who was manufacturing the cotton.

"So this project is really special because it highlights the contributions of the enslaved women alongside the white mill workers of the Derwent Valley and the East Midlands."

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