|
The Cenotaph and
other War Memorials
 Manchester's Cenotaph occupies a
site adjacent to the Town Hall and St Peter's Square
where once a Peace Garden sat. It used to sit on
an island in the centre of St Peter's Square.
 It was designed by Edwin Lutyens (responsible for the Cenotaph in Whitehall, London) and completed in time for the Allied Victory Parade in 1919. Built of Portland stone, it is topped by a sculpture of the unknown soldier draped in his greatcoat.   Nearby were other
memorials to: - "Our Fallen Comrades - by the British
Legion Manchester" - The Korean War - "Our Italian
Comrades 1915 - 1918" and "To the honour and memory of
Mancunians who have given their lives in other
conflicts since 1945"
 In 2014 these memorials were
dismantled and moved to their new location on the site
of the former Peace Garden.
    When I visited the site in October of 2014, the new memorial site was completed although there had been some incidents with skateboarders and BMX riders who had inflicted minor damage to the Portland stone.           ***************** The relocation of the Cenotaph
resulted in the removal of the Peace Garden and the
statue of the Messenger of Peace
 In 1980 Manchester
declared itself a nuclear-free-zone. The council called
on the government "to refrain from the
manufacture or positioning of any nuclear weapons of
any kind within the boundaries of our city".
To mark this decision they created a Peace Garden to the
rear of the Town Hall. They also staged a competition
for a physical embodiment of their commitment to peace.
The winner of the competition was Barbara Pearson whose
sculpture "Messenger of Peace" was placed in the
garden.
 |