The Statue of Dame Ethel Smyth (1858-1944) in Dukes Plaza, Woking

This article discusses the unveiling of the life-size-plus statue of Dame Ethel Smyth (1858-1944) in Dukes Plaza, Dukes Court, Woking on 8 March 2022. Smyth achieved fame primarily as a composer of music, including six operas, but she was also briefly active as a suffragette, as well as becoming a prolific author of memoirs and other prose writings towards the end of her career. She was resident in Surrey for much of her long life, Woking being her home town for over three decades. The article considers the current dearth of statues of women and women composers, provides an overview of Smyth's life and works as well as her connections to Woking (including local individuals who have recently championed her), and reports back on the unveiling ceremony itself. In later sections, it outlines the process of creating the statue and announces the project to install a duplicate maquette at the University of Surrey, Guildford

Archaeology · Art · Art history · Ceremony · Memoir · Statue · Visual arts · Historical Art and Culture Studies · History