Thetford Town Council has set aside £5,000 towards creating a sculpture to commemorate the life and legacy of Thetford Mayor Dr Allan Glaisyer Minns, the United Kingdom’s first Black Mayor.
As the centenary of Dr Minns’ death approaches in 2030, the sculpture will commemorate his contribution to medicine, the environment and local government. The first tranche of funding allows the Council to begin exploring options for the statue’s look and possible locations linked to Dr Minns, with further funding to be considered at a later stage.
Dr Minns was born in Inagua, The Bahamas, in 1858. He came to Thetford in 1885, where he worked as a doctor at the town’s workhouse and ran a general practice in White Hart Street. In 1903, he was elected to Thetford Town Council, and in 1904 he became Mayor of Thetford, making him both the first Black Mayor of Thetford and the first Black Mayor in the UK. He went on to serve two one-year terms as Mayor, in a town that boasts the third-oldest mayoralty in the country, dating back more than 800 years.
Educated at Nassau Grammar School, Dr Minns completed his medical training at Guy’s Hospital in London. He registered with the British Medical Association in 1884, holding both MRCS and LRCP qualifications, before moving to Thetford, where his elder brother, Dr Pembroke Minns, was already practising medicine.
“Thetford has an amazing history, and some of the stories are not as widely known as they deserve to be,” said Councillor Annie Blackbourn, Chair of the Council’s Heritage and Events Committee, who proposed the idea. “It is a remarkable story that should be told, and it is right that we recognise his contribution to the town on this important anniversary.”
Dr Minns served as a councillor for more than ten years, and his official mayoral portrait remains on display in Thetford Guildhall, the Council’s main civic building. His legacy continued through his family after his death, including his son, Allan Noel Minns, who also trained as a doctor and later served as one of the few Black officers in the British Army during the First World War.
To stay informed about the Council’s projects and to learn more about Thetford’s heritage and history visit:
www.thetfordtowncouncil.gov.uk
