Pilgrim Woman: Doncaster stands an impressive 200cm tall and features the decorative woven panel by Rachel Carter on her Kirtle and the weavings of 42 local women decorating her skirt.
The statue is located in the new Danum Gallery, Library and Museum, a striking building in the centre of Doncaster, England a short distance from the village of Austerfield where Pilgrim William Bradford was Christened. Opened in Autumn 2021 it has the space and facilities to display exciting exhibits linked to Doncaster’s fascinating history; including insights into its rail, mining and industrial legacy. This modern new build itself retains and sympathetically displays the core central frontage of the former Hall Cross Girls School building. This is encased in a glass façade to showcase an iconic part of Doncaster’s architectural heritage.
Given the borough’s strong connections to the Mayflower, it is fitting that the Pilgrim Woman has been given a prominent place in the new build where she is able to share her experiences of the Mayflower voyage with visitors from all over the world.
The Pilgrim Woman – Journey To Doncaster
During a wet and blustery day a figure of a Pilgrim arrived on the back of a lorry into the centre of Doncaster. Watch this short video sharing the installation of the new sculpture by Rachel Carter called Pilgrim Woman Doncaster, part of the 400th anniversary of the Mayflower sailing in 1620 carrying people, some of which hailed from South Yorkshire, North Nottinghamshire and Lincolnshire, to the New World. Pilgrim Woman is a series of three unique sculptures, visit Pilgrim Woman Gainsborough standing by the River Trent near the Old Hall, Pilgrim Woman Boston is due to be unveiled at the Collection Museum in November 2021.
As part of the Pilgrim Woman Doncaster project, artist Rachel Carter engaged over a hundred local women living in the Pilgrim roots regions of South Yorkshire, North Nottinghamshire and Lincolnshire. The participants where invited to attend a series of four weekly lessons and was taught how to weave using a macrame technique. At the end of the project they were asked if they wished to donate a sample of their weaving to the project to adorn the Pilgrim Woman’s skirt, over 40 women contributed.