New exhibition highlights the life and times of Lady Astor

Plymouth City Museum and Art Gallery opens a brand new exhibition called ‘Nancy: The Life and Times of Lady Astor’ on Saturday 13 July.

The exhibition tells the story of Viscountess Nancy Astor - MP for Plymouth Sutton from 1919 to 1944, Lady Mayoress of Plymouth from 1939 to 1944 and the first woman ever to take a seat in the House of Commons.

It features a number of items from the city’s permanent and civic collections including images from Nancy's seven election campaigns, portraits of her and her husband Waldorf Astor, racing cups, commemorative silver and a diamond necklace and earrings not usually on display to the public.

The exhibition examines Nancy’s life through four key themes of ‘Wife and Mother’, ‘Politician and Personality’, ‘Friend and Foe’ and ‘Honorary Plymothian’.

In the Honorary Plymothian section a map highlights a number of locations in the city still connected to or named after Nancy. The Friend and Foe section displays various loan items, including iconic portraits of Winston Churchill and Christine Keeler (from the National Portrait Gallery), a photograph of a 1920 garden party celebrating the 300th anniversary of the Mayflower (from the American Museum in Britain) and oil paintings of Lawrence of Arabia and former Prime Minister David Lloyd George (from the Government Art Collection and the Imperial War Museum).

A related events programme will be on offer while the exhibition is on display. The programme includes lunchtime talks (Tuesday 24 September and 8 October), Art Bite tours (Wednesday 18 September and 9 October), a film screening (Friday 13 September) and storytelling sessions (Saturday 14 September). The Museum and Art Gallery will also be running a special garden party inspired event for all ages on Friday 30 August.

Nancy: The Life and Times of Lady Astor will be on show at the Museum and Art Gallery until 12 October. Exhibition opening hours are 10am to 5.30pm Tuesday to Friday and 10am to 5pm on Saturdays. Admission is free and there is no need to book.

For information visit www.plymouth.gov.uk/museumnancyastor or telephone 01752 304774.