On the esplanade in
Piccadilly stands the grand statue of Sir Robert Peel
who was responsible for the introduction of one of the
iconic figures of British culture the British Policeman
known around the world as a "bobbie" after him.
Peel was born in Bury in 1750 the son of a successful
calico printer. He was educated at Harrow and
Oxford and went on to have a brilliant political
career. He was elected as an MP at the age of 21
and by 1822 he was appointed as Home Secretary. It
was duriung this period that he introduced radical
changes to policing through the introduction of the
Metropolitan Police Act of 1829. It set up an
organised police force for London, with 17 divisions,
each with 4 inspectors and 144 constables. It was to be
controlled from Scotland Yard, and answerable to the
Home Secretary. The constables were known as
'Peelers' and 'Bobbies' after their founder, and wore a
dark blue longcoat and a tall hat which they could use
to stand on and look over walls. Peel went on to
hold the post of Prime Minister. He died suddenly
in 1850 following a fall from a horse while riding in
Hyde Park.
The statue was cast in Pimlico and transported to
Manchester in 1853. It was unveiled in October of
that year.
