On the 8th October 2017, we held a very special Service remembering Elizabeth Garrett Anderson.
Elizabeth Garrett Anderson was brought up in Aldeburgh from the age of 5. After her remarkable life as the first British woman to qualify as a doctor and a physician she retired here too, spending the last 15 years of her life living close to the church which she attended regularly. She also, of course, became the pioneering mayor of Aldeburgh – the first female mayor in the country.
The Trinity Chapel of our Parish Church already contains memorials to several of the Garrett family including Elizabeth’s father Newson, his wife Louisa and their son Edmund. Many people have been surprised that there is no permanent memorial to Elizabeth and we are very pleased that the omission was rectified during this service. Intriguingly, the East window of the Trinity Chapel features images of only female saints. There seems no more appropriate location for a lasting memorial to a very remarkable lady – a true ‘woman of purpose’.
The unveiling of the plaque by Marian Barnes, our guest preacher.
