(1929-1890)
William Booth College, Champion Park, Denmark Hill, London SE5 8BQ and Mile End Road, London E1 4TP
Catherine received a strict evangelical upbringing with the values of piety and selflessness instilled in her. She attended Wesleyan classes at a young age but later became dissatisfied and moved away from the faith around 1850. A few years later she met and married William Booth and shared faith values and a passionate belief in the need for church reform. Catherine had been home educated by her mother and due to illness, she had spent many years housebound which served to make Catherine a voracious reader of the bible and other religious works, leading to an interpretation of the Bible which supported equality and challenged the precept that it was unfeminine for women to preach.
William was at first opposed but by 1860 Catherine was speaking publicly, winning many converts which helped sway William’s opinion. Subsequently the value of female ministry was proclaimed by The Salvation Army (established in 1865) and a statement regarding sexual equality in ministry was published in The Salvation Army’s Orders and Regulations. For many Salvationists Catherine’s legacy is this success in advancing public roles for women in Church life and she is affectionately remembered as ‘The Army Mother’.
Catherine is also celebrated for her commitment to social reform, advocating for better conditions and pay for women workers in London’s sweated labour, notably in the match-making industry. All this, it is written, while giving dedication to her duties as a wife and mother of eight and her commitment to The Salvation Army.
Still, she dodged the bullet of school bun sales, World Book Day costumes and various taxiing to judo/football/swimming lessons. Pick your hard.
The Mile End statue is a fibreglass replica of the original in Denmark Hill, donated by the women of the US Salvation Army to mark the Army’s 150th anniversary in 2015.
In each location, Catherine is stood in preaching action, adjacent to her co-founder and husband William Booth.
Still unsure if it is worth a visit? Let’s note a Trip Advisor review from November 2023, ‘I don’t know who she is. It’s a pretty standard statue. It’s not worth going out of your way for’.
WomenstatuesUK 