Suffragist Ada ‘The Crewe Factory Girl’ set to draw crowds this weekend

By Jan Roberts

19th Jul 2023 | Local News

An exhibition celebrating the life and times of an unsung hero of the suffragist movement from Crewe, is set to draw the crowds this weekend.

Cheshire Women's Collaboration (CWC), has turned back the clock to recognise the achievements of Crewe factory worker, Ada Nield Chew, who campaigned for equal pay and the right for women's vote.

Ada, born in 1870 as one of 13 children, was in her 20s when she worked as a tailor and wrote a series of letters to her local paper under the pseudonym 'A Crewe Factory Girl,' criticising working conditions for women and girls.

Crewe suffragist, Ada Nield Chew, was born in 1870 and worked at a factory on Bridle Road (Crewe Market Hall).

CWC chair, Kate Blakemore, told Nub News "Ada was working in a factory on Bridal Road in Crewe when she wrote to the Crewe Chronicle, highlighting how women were paid a fraction of men's wages and workers were charged for their tea breaks.

"Later in life she became a prominent suffragist and campaigned for the right for women's vote.

"She led the way in so many areas, she was a vegetarian and one of the first women of her time to go with a double barrel name once married.

"We have worked hard to bring this exhibition together so people from across Cheshire and beyond will learn more about Ada and give her the recognition she deserves."

CWC, a campaign group dedicated to improving the health and wellbeing of local women, is also in the process of set up a charity called 'A Statue for Ada' to raise funds for a lasting tribute to the historical figure in Crewe.

The exhibition, which opens at Crewe Market Hall on Saturday 22 July, includes pictures, posters, letters and clothing from the time such as aprons, hats and dresses which would have been worn by Ada.

CWC chair and founder of Motherwell Cheshire, Kate Blakemore (left) (Nub News).

It will tour different venues such as Crewe UTC, Cheshire College Crewe campus, Crewe Library and Nantwich Museum over the next few months.

Kate, founder of the women's health and wellbeing charity Motherwell Cheshire based in Wistaston, added: "The idea of the exhibition is to showcase the inspirational story of Ada so people get to know her, her mission and our mission.

"Over the next two years we will be fundraising and applying for funding towards a statue of Ada to be erected in Crewe.

"We have already commissioned a well-known sculptor and are currently working closely with Cheshire East to find a suitable place for the statue."

Ada went on to become a successful entrepreneur running a mail order drapery business.

She died, aged 75, in 1945 and is named, along with other suffrage supporters, on the plinth of the statue of Millicent Fawcett in London's Parliament Square.