A memorial to the first British woman to fly unaccompanied has been unveiled in Stoke Newington's Abney Park.
Margaret Graham became the first woman to fly solo when she ascended in a hot air balloon in Islington, aged 22, but was buried in an unmarked grave upon her death in 1864.
Her new headstone was funded by a campaign led by the Abney Park Trust and author Sharon Wright. Since its launch in May 2022, the campaign raised over £5,000 in donations.
Sharon Wright, author of The Lost History of the Lady Aeronauts, said: “It’s taken 158 years to get Mrs Graham a gravestone, but it’s never too late to celebrate women who make history.”
The headstone was designed by Charlotte Ruse, a stonemason based in Stoke Newington, and was unveiled in October during a ceremony attended by Graham’s 90-year-old great-great-granddaughter.
Graham was born in 1804 and worked as a professional pilot for thirty years. She reported on her travels for newspapers and was an outspoken advocate of a woman’s right to fly on equal terms with men.
Tom Walker, chair of the Abney Park Trust, said the memorial will “help keep Abney’s stories alive for future generations”.
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