Isabella Elder

Isabella Ure Elder (15 March 1828 – 18 November 1905) was a Scottish philanthropist who took a particular interest in education, especially of women, and in the welfare of the people of Govan in Glasgow. In Govan alone, Elder was responsible for building Elder Park Library, a School for Domestic Economy, Cottage Hospital, the Cottage Nurses Training Home, and erecting a statue in honour of her husband John Elder. She also gave Elder Park to the people of Govan. Many of her philanthropic works are still open to the community today.

Early life Isabella Ure was born to Mary Ure (née Ross) on 15 March 1828 in Glasgow's Gorbals district. Her father, Alexander Ure (1788–1830), was a solicitor. She was the only surviving daughter of the family, however, she had one older brother, John Francis (1820–1883). Her education is unknown.

Following her husband's death, Elder became the sole owner of the business and ran it successfully for nine months until it was transferred to a partnership led by her brother.

Philanthropy alt= Painting of woman in profile wearing a black dress, holding a book in her left hand.

Investment in universities During her widowhood, Elder lived at 6 Claremont Terrace, next to Kelvingrove Park and close to the University of Glasgow in which she took a keen interest. Her donations to the university included £5000 to support the Chair of Civil Engineering, in 1873, and £12,500 to fund the endowment of the John Elder Chair of Naval Architecture, in 1883.

The Glasgow and West of Scotland Technical College, now University of Strathclyde, received a £5,000 endowment in her will to fund a series of "Lectures of Descriptive Astronomy", named the David Elder lectures in honour of her father-in-law.

In 1883, Elder purchased North Park House in Glasgow's West End. She provided the property, rent free, to house Queen Margaret College which had been founded as the first college in Scotland to offer higher education to women.

Investment in women's education, and the first women doctors In addition to providing the Queen Margaret College building, Elder also financed College's courses in medicine to women, starting in 1890.

Investment in Govan, Glasgow Many of Elder's philanthropic projects were sited in Govan, Glasgow. In 1883 she purchased near Elder's Fairfield Shipyard and created Elder Park, named in honour of her husband and her father-in-law, David. It opened on 27 June 1885 and for many years she paid for an annual display of fireworks there. Also in 1885, she set up a School for Domestic Economy where young women learned how to cook and perform other household tasks on a limited budget. In December 2015, the university named a building after her. She is also commemorated on the university's Memorial Quincentennial Gates and in a memorial window in Bute Hall, titled The Pursuit of Ideal Education, where she is pictured alongside Janet Anne Galloway and Jessie Campbell. Statue of Isabella Elder, Elder Park, Govan, GlasgowIn 1906, a bronze statue of Elder on a granite base and surrounded by a memorial garden, was unveiled in Elder Park by the Provost of Govan, Sir John Anthony. Elder is shown seated, wearing her academic gown with her mortar board in her lap. The sculptor was Glasgow graduate Archibald Macfarlane Shannan (1850–1915) and the £2,000 cost was raised by public subscription, much of it from the ordinary people of Govan who held her in high regard. It was one of the first statues of a woman in Glasgow, and remains one of only four statues commemorating named women, rather than allegorical figures (the other three statues are of Dolores Ibarruri on the Clyde Walkway; Mary Barbour in Govan; Queen Victoria in George Square.) Elder's statue is Category A Listed and the monument and memorial gardens were restored in 2010.

Another Elder Park exists in Adelaide, Australia, however, this is named for a different Elder family. At one time, both parks had a similar bandstand, however the Govan one has since been lost.

Elder also has a bicycle named in her honour, The Glasgow tour company Gallus Pedals has named its bikes after a number of famous Glaswegian women in several categories. Elder is in the category "Leaders, Philanthropists and Community Builders" along with Beatrice Clugston.