A TRAIN named after the first female MP to take her seat in UK parliament will retrace her historic journey between London and her constituency. A Great Western Railway train, The Nancy Astor,…Read More >
News and Events
The latest news and events from the Astor project.
100 years of women in parliament: Why you should vote in this election – by Molly Edwards, Bronwyn Jacobs, Rachel Newton and Abbie Tibbott
On 28 November, two weeks ahead of the General Election, a group of History MA students will witness the unveiling of the first public statue to a British female MP…Read More >
Bessie Le Cras – counting agent for Nancy Astor – By Oonagh Gay
28 November 2019 marks the hundredth anniversary of the election of Nancy Astor as the first woman MP to take her seat in the House of Commons, following a closely…Read More >
Astor’s agent: the professional career of Christopher Briggs – by Dr Kathryn Rix
Nancy Astor’s election agent, Christopher George Briggs was one of a new breed of agents who established the National Society of Conservative Agents. Here, Dr Kathryn Rix, Assistant Editor of…Read More >
THE NANCY ASTOR STATUE APPEAL – How history is being made again – By Alexis Bowater
“TO be honest with you, we never thought you’d do it,” said many, after we’d smashed our Crowdfunder. Indeed so many that I wondered why not one had said a…Read More >
Almost there… the bronze statue takes shape – 11 October 2019
It’s now less than six weeks until the moment we’ll install a bronze statue of Nancy Astor on Plymouth Hoe to commemorate the first female MP to take her seat…Read More >
Nancy Astor: A Mother in the House by Dr Jacqui Turner
Blog post from The History of Parliament by Dr Jacqui Turner from the University of Reading and PhD student, Kate Meanwell, discussing Nancy Astor’s role as a mother to her five children as…Read More >
Taking #Astor100 Research to Westminster by Rachel Newton
Rachel Newton was one of two Reading undergraduates to take their research to Westminster last week for the annual Posters in Parliament event. Here she tells us about spending her…Read More >
Astor Sculptor chosen
The installation of a statue commemorating Nancy Astor, the first woman to take her seat in the UK Parliament moved a step closer this week when a designer was chosen…Read More >
Britain’s first woman to sit in Parliament celebrated with centenary programme
PRESS RELEASE: 27 November 2018 A year-long series of activities and public events celebrating Britain’s first woman to sit in Parliament has launched, leading up to the centenary of her election…Read More >
