Barbara Castle statue relocated during college revamp

The Barbara Castle statue was unveiled in 2021

The statue of former Blackburn MP and Labour cabinet minister Barbara Castle has been relocated to a new, temporary home.

The larger than life-size bronze artwork had to be moved from its original position in front of Blackburn College in Jubilee Square while refurbishment work to Blackburn's Victoria Building takes place.

The new site is at the front of One Cathedral Square and the east elevation of the Cathedral Church of St Mary the Virgin, but positioned on the broad paved area, closest to the cathedral grounds.

Baroness Castle was MP for Blackburn from 1945 to 1979 and held five high-profile government posts.

As transport minister, she introduced the breathalyser, confirmed the 70mph maximum speed limit and legislated for seat belts on new cars.

As employment secretary she introduced the Equal Pay Act in 1970.

After her House of Commons career she was also a Euro-MP and a member of the House of Lords as Baroness Castle of Blackburn.

She died aged 91 in 2002.

The 6ft 4in (1.93m) tall statue was unveiled in 2021 in its original position in front of the town’s college by her successor as Blackburn MP Jack Straw and the now-Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner.

It was moved into its new position on Tuesday and the final touches to its stone plinth will be applied this week.

Barbara Castle died in 2002 aged 91

The artwork will remain in Cathedral Square for three years before being returned to its current location.

Blackburn with Darwen Council leader councillor Phil Riley said: "I am delighted that Barbara’s statue is now in Cathedral Square. It’s a real asset to the town.

"When it became clear it would have to be moved to facilitate the works at the college we did not want it to be in storage for three years.

"It is now temporarily in a prominent place in Cathedral Square until it is returned to its original location."