Tree of Remembrance

Piccadilly Gardens is one of the relatively few green areas within Manchester’s city center.  However, the area not only contains green lawns and trees but also a major bus interchange, tram tracks (including two nearby bus stops), multiple statues, a fountain (which is only sometimes operational), a varying number of food stalls, and a playground.  Given that the area functions as a travel interchange, that many restaurants and other shops are located in the buildings adjacent to the gardens, and that the gardens are used for both special events and mass demonstrations, it is quite busy.

Among all of the activity and all of the things surrounding Piccadilly Gardens, the average person passing through may not immediately notice that one of the trees is not actually a real tree but made of metal.  This 10 m tall metallic tree is a memorial named the Tree of Remembrance.

The sculpture, which was commissioned by Manchester City Council and created by Wolfgang Buttress and Fiona Heron, commemorates the civilians who died in Manchester during World War II.  While a plaque at the bottom of the tree indicates that it is in memory of people killed between 1940 and 1945, most of the casualties occurred during the Manchester Blitz of 22 and 23 December 1940 when over 467 tons of high explosives and 2000 incendiary bombs were dropped on the city.  The names of all of the victims of this and other events are etched into bands around the lower part of the tree trunk.

The statue was erected on VE day in 2005.  Since then, it has stood as a silent memorial that has seamlessly blended into the chaotic cityscape around Piccadilly Gardens.