THE push for women’s equality has never been more prevalent.

March 8 saw women’s achievements celebrated around the World through International Women’s Day - this year’s campaign theme being #PressforProgress.

According to the International Women’s Day website, global activism for women’s equality is being fuelled by movements such as #MeToo, #TimesUp resulting in a strong global momentum striving for gender parity.

Yet, here in Bradford, one eagle-eyed resident has spotted what he describes as an ‘anomaly’ - a missing Queen in one of the statues surrounding the city’s iconic landmark - City Hall.

Within the niches between the windows of the Grade I listed building there are statues of 35 sovereigns beginning with William the Conqueror and ending with Henry VIII.

The statues, including one of the non-sovereign English military and political leader, Oliver Cromwell, were carved by architectural sculptors and ornamentalists William Farmer and William Brindley Craftsmen Stone Carvers of Westminster Bridge Road, London.

They cost £63 each to carve and were crafted from locally sourced Cliffe Wood sandstone.

Other featured sovereigns include Queen Victoria, who was on the throne when the Town Hall, as it was originally known, opened in 1873, Queen Elizabeth I, Queen Mary I and Queen Anne.

However, according to local resident, Winston Williams , there should also be a statue of Queen Mary II alongside the statue of her husband King William III.

A spokesman for the Local Studies Library in Bradford explains Queen Mary II and King William III jointly ruled from 1689 to 1694.

From 1694 to 1702 King William III was the sole ruler after Queen Mary II died in 1694.

Interestingly, it appears that Parliament had wanted Queen Mary II to be the sole ruler but she refused due to her ‘self imposed subservience’ to her husband.

Richard Lee-van den Daele, the Lord Mayor’s diary secretary who conducts tours around City Hall, says the missing Queen Mary II is certainly a talking point for visitors and tourists.

He explains that they can only assume the people in charge of depicting those in stone believed Mary to be Queen consort when she was, in fact, joint ruler with her husband.

This fact is also recognised in John Stolarczyk's book 'The Sovereign Statues of Bradford City Hall.'

The book refers to Queen Mary II's omission as seemingly 'a little unjust' as William of Orange wouldn't have come to the English throne had he not married James II's daughter. And, if William had died first, both monarchs would certainly have been included in the roll of statues.

Another 'minor absentee' is Lady Jane Grey who was apparently Queen for only nine days in 1553 following a dispute over the succession following the death of Edward VI.

The statues are considered to be 'a history lesson for future generations' and that 'no finer collection of regal statues exists throughout the world' - something Bradford can be justly proud of.