Unveiled for the 2019 Commemoration

It's happening!

The stone is being cut and the foundations are being constructed. The wording on each tier of the memorial will emphasise-
1) The names of those who died
2) The names of the towns around Manchester who marched to St Peter's Fields
These names are being cut into the stone and will point outwards in the direction that they came from.

The second, smaller ground level circle is a flat, floor level reproduction of all the information contained in the 3-D version, so that people who are unable to physically move up the memorial can see it's full content. There's a small yellow brass coloured curved panel near where the two circles meet.
This will be a plaque that describes what happened on the 16th of August 1819. Click on images to enlarge.

We are very pleased with the artistic aspects of Jeremy Deller's memorial concept, which meet our 'Respectful,Informative and Permanent' criteria, and we're satisfied with the level of engagement we have had in contributing towards the wording and images used in the final design.
 

Ongoing Negotiations

Following the PMC survey in November 2018, strong and legitimate objections were raised over disability access to a memorial which has been designed as a platform for speakers and demonstrators.

Both the PMC and artist Jeremy Deller agree that the disability access issue is a significant problem with the design and various possible alternatives for alterations to the design to make the memorial wheelchair accessible have been looked into.

A series of meetings have been held between representatives from Manchester City Council, Peterloo Memorial Campaign, disability rights campaigners, Jeremy Deller and Jeremy Deller's architects, to look at possible solutions. But despite very sincere efforts by Jeremy Deller and the PMC to find a viable retrofit design that will allow wheelchair access, as yet, no satisfactory solution has been found.

With time running out before the 16th August 2019 completion date, construction of the proposed design has begun and is now taking place on the tramline end of the forecourt of Manchester Central.

See our full statement here.

Background

After more than 10 years of campaigning, the proposed design and location of Jeremy Deller's permanent memorial went on public display at Central Library in November 2018. Both the MCC and the Peterloo Memorial Campaign ran their own independent surveys of public responses to the design and location.

SUMMARY OF THE PETERLOO MEMORIAL CAMPAIGN SURVEY RESULTS:
Strongly approve of the design- 33%
Approve of the design - 32%
Neutral opinion on design - 8%
Disapprove of the design - 10%
Strongly disapprove of the design - 17%
89% approve of the location.

A full report of the PMC survey results is available here. The MCC survey results have still not been publicly released.
 

Previous Memorials

Peterloo was a critical event not only because of the number of people killed and injured, but because ultimately it changed public opinion to influence the extension of the right to vote and give us the democracy we enjoy today.

We've discovered that we are part of a long tradition - people have been demanding a fitting memorial for nearly 200 years!

The only previous public memorial to Peterloo is a commemorative plaque on the side of the Radisson Hotel, formerly the Free Trade Hall. We have successfully campaigned to have the old blue plaque replaced with one that is accurate and informative.

An 1842 obelisk-style monument to the event in Ancoats once existed, but deteriorated so badly it was demolished by 1888.

A 1951 mural in the former Free Trade Hall (sold to the Radisson Hotel chain, who have converted the building into a luxury hotel) still exists in an upstairs corridor, but it, sadly, is as strikingly 'airbrushed' as the plaque, showing washed out, blank banners, protesters apparently viciously fighting amongst themselves, and the cavalry coming to the rescue.

A new more accurate mural (derived from the Peterloo graphic novel, was recently installed in the historic Abercromby pub on Bootle Street.

We've held campaign events to mark each anniversary over the years. These have helped to keep up the pressure for a fitting memorial, as well as inviting the public to get involved in re-establishing the tradition of gathering to honour and strengthen democracy. See more on our Events page.