Women Who Made Milton Keynes

The exhibition featured the lives of 10 women who had had a huge impact on the identity of the new city but whose roles remained uncelebrated, often because they had chosen to work as groups rather than as individuals. Our research for the exhibition sparked an interest in documenting the lives and experiences of local women, which continues in various aspects of our current work. 

The 10 women, included in the collage (left to right in each row), were: 1st row Deirdre Battista, community activist and a leading figure in the creation of local community art projects; Avril Dankworth, musician and founder of the annual National Youth Music camps at The Stables, Wavendon; Margaret Durbridge, JP, influential in the early planning of the city; 2nd row, Dr Marjorie Reid, local pioneer in palliative care and co-founder of Willen Hospice; Margaret Powell, sheep farmer, who bequeathed a legacy to improve the quality of life for people in Milton Keynes; Liz Leyh, the city’s first artist-in-residence, most famous for Milton Keynes’ iconic Concrete Cows; 3rd row, Teresa Collard, former Arts and Entertainment officer, who campaigned for the Milton Keynes theatre and art gallery complex; Matilda Kessler, JP, active in the support of young offenders, who also founded the local Citizen’s Advice Bureau; educationist; Margaret Sale, leading contributor to the saving of Bletchley Park for future generations, and who played a pivotal role in founding The National Museum of Computing; Jane Henshaw, whose achievements included facilitating the accreditation of Computer Studies in Milton Keynes schools.