A Royal Welcome for Aphra Behn
Tuesday 25 February was probably the finest day in the Society’s thirty-year history. Shortly before noon, Her Majesty Queen Camilla drove down a thronged High Street in an escorted cavalcade of flashing blue lights that came to a halt outside the Beaney Institute of Art and Culture. There a civic line of dignitaries stood ready to welcome her. On the other side of the entrance stairs, modestly wrapped in royal crimson, stood Aphra Behn, quietly waiting to return to the city she had left as a teenager over three-and-a-half centuries earlier.
Guided by CCS Chair Stewart Ross, Her Majesty greeted representatives of the major charities that had generously donated to the Aphra Project and chatted warmly with other donors and members of the committee before turning towards Aphra. Here she met Evelyn Cornell, the thirteen-year-old daughter of Charlotte Cornell, CCS Vice-Chair and instigator of the highly successful A is for Aphra campaign . (Unfortunately, Charlotte herself was in political purdah required by upcoming local elections.) Christine Charlesworth, the creator of the wonderful Aphra statue, exchanged a few cheerful words with the Queen before everyone stepped back to allow Her Majesty to pull back the veil and reveal the beautiful bronze Aphra to the world. Gasps of delight were followed by rounds of warm applause.
After five years of hard work – planning, fund-raising, organising, cajoling, and campaigning – Canterbury’s favourite sister, the pioneer and inspiration for generations of women writers, had finally come home.
After the unveiling, the Queen entered the Beaney for a range of activities organised by the City Council. On returning to the High Street, she spent a good fifteen minutes greeting people and chatting to the many hundreds who had come to see her. Children gave flowers as, despite the overcast and showery conditions, the street was lit up by a multitude of smiles.
Following Her Majesty’s departure, CCS held a reception for 125 guests in the ABode hotel. Stewart Ross outlined the Society’s aims and work. ‘No city of comparable size boasts such a wonderfully rich heritage,’ he declared, though ‘this is both a blessing and a burden: as a relatively small and impecunious city, we are rich in history but poor in resources … [CCS was] established thirty years ago to help, by celebrating our heritage, protecting it and telling the world about it.’ Charlotte Cornell followed with a sparkling and passionate explanation of why Aphra Behn is such a crucial figure in the history of English literature.
As the guests and onlookers gradually dispersed, all agreed that they had enjoyed what was truly a day to remember. And, lest they forget, Aphra’s presence in the High Street will keep those memories alive for all time.
Readers may be interested in the piece How sculptor Christine Charlesworth brought Aphra Behn to life by Mike Longhurst.