A spectacular mosaic portrait of Lady Lucy Cavendish created by local artist and businessman Albert Gazeley was unveiled at Lucy Cavendish College last week and now hangs in the foyer of the building.

Born in 1841, Lady Lucy Cavendish, after whom the college is named, was a pioneer of women's education in Britain in the 19th century.

Born into an aristocratic family, she married the second son of the Duke of Devonshire, Lord Frederick Cavendish. The Duke was the Chancellor of Cambridge University and thus began her association with the University.

The College, established forty years after her death in 1925, was named after her because of her distinguished role as a patron of women's education.

She was president of the Yorkshire Ladies Council of Education, a member of the Royal Commission on Secondary Education as well as of the Girls Public Day School Trust, founded by her father.

She received an honorary degree from the University of Leeds in 1904. It was this image of her in the robes of an Honorary Doctor of Law that inspired Gazeley to create the mosaic.

Gazeley worked from a black and white photograph and created a stunning mosaic in colour. He consulted Ede and Ravenscroft to capture the correct colours for the robes and used glass and tiles to bring out the fabrics and the textures.

Albert Gazeley is a retired businessman who has written folk poetry for most of his life and is acknowledged widely among world poets for his outspoken views on politics, current affairs and religion. He is the 14th Baron of Lochfergus. Recipient of numerous awards, he is now in the process of publishing his second book.

At the unveiling ceremony of the mosaic, Gazeley said that he wanted to provide the College with a strong sense of the presence of Lucy Cavendish and was delighted to be able to do so with his creation.

Lucy Cavendish is a young modern college established in 1965 for the specific advancement of women's education. Its purpose is to give women over 21 from every possible background the opportunity to study for an undergraduate or graduate degree at the University of Cambridge in an enriching and stimulating atmosphere.

For more information on the college, visit its website at the link above right.

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