Mary Wollstonecraft Day

Happy birthday to a founder of feminism - Celebrating the opening of the Mary Wollstonecraft Room

On Sunday 27th April, 255 years after founder of feminism Mary Wollstonecraft was born, a special celebration will take place at the church she attended in Newington Green.

The church maintains its tradition of dissent with a diverse and vibrant congregation called New Unity, many of whom describe themselves as atheists.

The Sunday service on 27th April will honour the work of Mary Wollstonecraft and all those she inspired by being led by female members of the congregation, and celebrating those who have fought for equality. It will be followed by the opening of the Mary Wollstonecraft Room - the former school room above the chapel that is now used for community events, including the Bright Lights Sunday school and New Unity's weekly meditation group. The room is named to celebrate the church's important history and keep the connection alive for today's congregation.

The opening celebration will include stories about Mary Wollstonecraft's life and work from local experts as well as a talk from Professor Clare Midgley (a member of the congregation and Professor of Women's History) on Pandita Ramabai, the Indian feminist.

The Mary Wollstonecraft Room's opening is part of the first wave of the church's refurbishment, to conserve the building's historic importance and enable it to be a welcoming space for the current active community.