Oliver Cromwell may lead a new charge to celebrate Manchester’s history.
A statue of ‘Old Ironsides’ is set to return to its old home outside the city’s cathedral as part of a string of new commemorative monuments.
The Cromwell statue was controversially erected in 1875 by local Liberal politicians. But it was moved in the 1980s to Wythenshawe Hall due to inner-city redevelopment.
The city was regarded as a Roundhead stronghold after seeing off a Royalist siege at the start of the Civil War.
Proposals to re-instate it are included in a masterplan for Manchester’s ‘Medieval Quarter’, which would be built around a new cathedral square.
There would also be memorials marking the city’s role in the anti-slavery movement, the Suffragette movement – and the work of heroic Greater Manchester firefighters.
They would be part of a major redesign of Cathedral Gardens and Victoria Arches.
Victoria Street and Cateaton Street would be paved, existing trees around the cathedral moved, lighting installed, new landscaping and walkways, and a pedestrian bridge linking to the Greengate development in Salford just across the River Irwell.
The firefighters’ memorial would cost up to £100,000 and would be paid for by private donations.
It is understood the city council would co-ordinate fundraising for the other memorials – although detailed funding plans have yet to be drawn up.
A town hall spokesman said: “The medieval quarter has always been seen as a very important part of both the city’s heritage and its future.
“It the final piece of the jigsaw for the post-bomb masterplan. The 1997 plan recognises that it should be a part of the rejuvenation of this part of the city.
“We’ve got big ambitions for the quarter, in recognition of its history, from Chethams, where the world’s first public library opened, to the cathedral itself, both of which play a vibrant part in the life of the city today.
“The plans are at an outline stage, but provide a framework to ensure the area is given the respect and status it deserves.”
The statue of Cromwell in battledress, body armour and drawn sword is by Matthew Noble. It was a gift to the city from Mrs Abel Heywood in memory of her first husband.
When it went up, it annoyed the city’s large Irish immigrant population as Cromwell had ruthlessly put down Irish uprisings. And when Queen Victoria was asked to open Manchester’s town hall she allegedly insisted that the statue of Cromwell should be removed.
Tweet
Comments
Login or Register to comment
Oliver Cromwell was a mass murderer who persecuted thousands. I would prefer it was weighed in for scrap and the money given to charity.
Why should Manchester prominently display a statue of a notorious tyrant / zealot who tore the nation apart and was directly responsible for one of the most damaging periods in English history? Are we to endorse his record with this honour? If that is appropriate, maybe there is a place for statues of Hitler, Stalin and Pol Pot alongside him ... we could market it as the genocidal maniacs quarter.
I think we should put it in partially submerged in the middle of the sewage treatment works.
The man was an tyrant and does not deserve to be celebrated.
Great idea and we should do more to promote the history of our great City............
We need a statue in Manchester dedicated those killed in the Peterloo Massacre. It's shameful that there appears to be nothing other than a small blue plaque dedicated to their memory when it played such a big part in fighting for democracy for all in the UK
Our 'leftie' council not opposing the Cromwell statue then? Surely not!
I expect we'll be hearing words along the lines of 'if you don't like our history and heritage feel free to leave to a place that suits you better'. Or maybe we won't.
More than a few died in our two towns during the week long Manchester seige of 1642 and perhaps a statue or plaque to Johan Rosworm The German born defender of our town woud be more apt than Mr Cromwell.
He still divides people today when discussing the era of his New Model Army.
Cromwell the murderer why would Manchester want a statue of this fool . Manchetser has more class than showing this annimal anyplace on British soil, look back in the history books and see what he did to the Royals and the poor .I wouldnt p on him if he was on fire.
How many more quarters can Manchester have?
Even with my limited maths I think we can only have a maximum of four?
what a load of claptrap on here, we cannot change history what was done was done we should learn by his mistakes.
perhaps like some we should pretend the holocaust, or the rape of nanking and the railway of death never happened.
for gods sake grow up we cannot change it now.
p.s. as a steam railway fanatic my favorite steam loco is 70013 "oliver cromwell"
Interesting how most Irish angst, quite happily moved to their enemy country to live and work and breed. Very bizzare indeed. True a small majority were quite happy to hide fellow Irish Republican Army within the community and even funded their cause. By account of history, Today's supporters would happily follow King Charles through thick and thin. Wrong doing was committed on both side because of religion following zealots and partisans. But if you want remove the stain of history, then you have to accept Ireland Scotland would never grew and merged into Great Britain. So by every account aired here. Manchester is an Irish city in England, therefore the council should fund heavily more Irish issues only than the English small community.
Whatever statues they do put there, let's hope they make a better job of it than they did with Piccadilly Gardens !
Could somebody tell me why we have a statue of Abe Lincoln? Serious question.
who wrote this?????? the statue was not moved to wythy park in the 1980s,i grew up next to the park and from what i can remember the statue was there from at least 1972 and very likely earlier............................
Truly a British great, we certainly need this man now to get rid of all the political dross. Maybe a more prominent position outside Manchester town Hall would be a suitable position, just as a reminder to whom these councillors were elected to serve!
I thought Cromwell was moved following a complaint by the queen mother? Either way leave Cromwell in his curent home at Wythenshawe park, perhaps a new statue of Tony Blair should be placed in front of the Cathedral. some would argue his decisions led to the deaths of thousands of country men and now surpasses anything Cromwell did in his day.
Although a highly controversial figure even today, more than 350 years after his death, on balance Cromwell was a very great man and should be judged by the standards of his time, not ours. He broke the despotic power of absolute monarchy forever and opposed the execution of Charles I until he discovered the king's plotting with the Scots even after his arrest. He refused the crown, suppressed the anarchic Levellers and dismissed the Parliament that wanted to be self-perpetuating. I'm old enough to remember 'Old Nol' outside the cathedral where he survived the blitz, I think that's the best place for him.
How little so many know about Cromwell!
What ever happened to the Southern Quarter? I remember that was the next big thing a while back?
So the blacks and the women are commemorated. And firemen, for some reason. But what about the gays and the disabled and our heroic social workers.
Free Red: Yes, who needs democracy? Thank goodness our ruling artistocrats have kept us in our place ever since then. Blairite Thacherites and Cameron Thatcherites are all we need; we have a vote on that every 5 years. So what more do we Anglo-Saxon/Danish peasants wnat? God save the ruling rich and our superior toffs who know exactly what is best us oiks in Northern England (or wherever it is the oiks live). Oliver Cromwel?: Rule by the people for the people? What a load of Communist, American, European rubbish. Toodle pip! Lord Richy Wichy, Alderley Edge.
The English Revolution (the conservative Eton-boys at Oxbridge call it a "Civil War") preceded the American Revolution and the French Revolution by a hundred years. Afterwards the ruling class took back control and returned the Anglo-Saxon/Danish peasants to slavery. The English are born slaves; that is what makes them different from Europe.
Just because 75 per cent of the population of the City of Manchester is Irish and the English und Oliver Cromwell invaded Ireland to protect free-thing protestantism and parliamentary democracy from royal dictatorship backed by Catholic popes does not mean English free-thinking liberalism, parliamentary democracy and the English army lead by Cromwell are evil. Perhaps Catholism, and dictatorship by God-given rights as devined by the Bishop of Rome are the evil, not the English Parliament.
Should be scrapped, I doubt Harare will be raising a statue of Robert Mugabe in years to come.
Typical mixed up council chiefs grasping at bits of history - not really knowing what went on in the past. nobody really knows - not even the so called expert historians. Instead, get our shambolic square, that is Piccadilly Gardens sorted out. It's a sad reflection on it's citizens and those visitors who have come hear as tourists etc.and wince with embarassment at this shocking area.