First look at Jennie Lee artwork unveiled in Milton Keynes

Posted on 24 March 2026 • University news

Milton Keynes City Council has unveiled an early version of the city’s new Jennie Lee statue, giving residents a first opportunity to see how the final bronze artwork will look before it’s installed later this year.

The Leader of the Council, Cllr Pete Marland, unveiled a full‑size fibreglass version of the statue at Station Square today. The artist Andy Edwards will be using it – in collaboration with local people – to determine the final placement of the statue in Station Square, as he has successfully done with previous high-profile commissions such as his celebrated Beatles sculpture in Liverpool.

The statue honours Jennie Lee’s remarkable role in founding The Open University (OU) and her lifelong commitment to arts, education and public service. Established in 1969 in Walton Hall, Milton Keynes, the OU is now a four-nation university in the UK and has taught more than 2.3 million students worldwide, with around 200,000 current students. One ambition changed the world, giving anyone, anywhere the power to learn.

Fought for a university open to everyone, operating to the highest standards

Born in Fife, Scotland in 1904, Jennie was elected as MP for North Lanark in 1929. She was one of the first women to be elected to the House of Commons and was also the youngest member of the House at that time, aged just 24. After a lifetime of being involved in politics and campaigning, Jennie was made Minister for the Arts in 1964. Her seminal White Paper for the Arts was produced in 1965 insisting that the arts should be central to everyday life and publicly supported for the benefit of all, cementing the establishment of a national cultural policy through The Arts Council.

In February 1966, she produced the landmark White Paper on the University of the Air, laying the groundwork and effectively founding The Open University.  She fought for a university that was both open to everyone and which operated to the highest standards. Jennie’s actions have benefitted millions of people globally ever since. She died in November 1988 as Baroness Lee of Asheridge.

Artist’s “outstanding portfolio”

Andy, Founding Director of Cornovii Edwards, was selected due to his outstanding portfolio of previous commissions which includes The Beatles, David Bowie and Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, alongside his knowledge, passion and enthusiasm for the opportunity to celebrate the life and work of Jennie Lee.

The final bronze statue will be installed at Station Square later this year, and the fibreglass version will remain on display at the Open University campus. The Jennie Lee Archive collection is based at The Open University, and the Archive team will work closely with Andy on the commission’s development. The project is being funded through contributions from housing and infrastructure developers.

Leader of Milton Keynes City Council, Cllr Pete Marland said:

“It’s a real privilege to share this first look at the Jennie Lee statue. Jennie was a remarkable woman whose work changed education in this country forever, yet she has never had the recognition she truly deserves. Too often her achievements have been overlooked. Having a major artwork in Milton Keynes that celebrates her role in creating The Open University feels exactly right. I’m looking forward to seeing the final sculpture capture both her strength and her spirit.”

Vice-Chancellor of The Open University, Professor Dave Phoenix said:

“Jennie’s pioneering spirit and determination was the driving force behind the establishment of The Open University, and it is hugely fitting that she will be commemorated in this way in this, in this the 60^th anniversary year of her ground-breaking White Paper. 

“This statue will give visibility to Jennie’s achievements and her association with the OU and its home here in Milton Keynes.

“The statue will be a great addition to how our institution continues to mark the 60^th anniversary of Jennie’s legacy. We look forward to seeing the final artwork.”

Podcast pays tribute to “Carnegie pioneer”

The unveiling comes in the same week that a brand new podcast, featuring an episode dedicated to Jennie Lee, is launched by the Carnegie Education Fund (CEF). Available from Tuesday March 24 on Apple Podcasts, the series In their footsteps: Carnegie Pioneers marks the trust’s 125th anniversary by exploring the extraordinary lives of its most iconic alumni.

Among those was a young Jennie Lee who frequented the Carnegie Library in Dunfermline as a youth, before applying for and receiving tuition fee and living cost support from CEF to attend the University of Edinburgh.

The episode features contributions by former Prime Minister Gordon Brown (who was also a former OU tutor), Baroness Lane-Fox of Soho, Chancellor of The Open University and OU Historian Daniel Weinbren as well as several audio clips of Jennie Lee from the OU Digital Archive

The podcast series is produced by David Stenhouse of Soundworks Media for the Carnegie Education Fund. David is a former grantee of CEF.

Main image: Close-up of the fibreglass model of Jennie Lee, unveiled in front of Milton Keynes Station. Photo by Ruth Cammies, University Archivist, copyright The Open University.