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The B-of-the-Bang
 B of the Bang is a competition winning sculpture for the City of Manchester Stadium where the 2002 Commonwealth Games were hosted, now the home of Manchester City Football Club. The tallest sculpture in the UK, it will be inclined at an angle of thirty degrees from the vertical and represents a major challenge in both construction and engineering. B of the Bang is a sculpture in Manchester, England. It is located next to the City of Manchester Stadium at Sportcity, Beswick, at the corner of Alan Turing Way and Ashton New Road,[1][2] at coordinates 53°28′55″N 2°11′46″WCoordinates: 53°28′55″N 2°11′46″W. It is Britain's tallest sculpture at twice the height of the Angel of the North,[2] and is one of the tallest structures in the city of Manchester. It cost £1.42 million to design and construct[3]—twice the original estimate[2] as that neglected installation costs[4]—with the North West Development Agency contributing £500,000 and the local council providing another £120,000,[5] with the rest from various other sources. The sculpture takes its name from a quotation of British sprinter Linford Christie in which he said that he started his races not merely at the 'bang' of the starting pistol, but at 'The B of the Bang'.[6] It was designed to look like an exploding firework,[7] and is taller and leans at a greater angle than the Leaning Tower of Pisa.[6] The structure has been nicknamed KerPlunk by the locals after the popular children's game from the 1970s.[7]  After a long period of
controversy - all sorts of structural problems and
legal cases, the B-of-the-Bang was dismantled in the
summer of 2009.
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