{{Short description|2019 memorial in Manchester, England}} {{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}} {{Infobox monument | name = Peterloo Memorial | native_name = | image = Peterloo Memorial (geograph 6240951).jpg | caption = | location = Manchester, England | designer = Jeremy Deller | type = | material = Stone | length = | width = {{convert|11.6|m|ft|abbr=on}} | height = | begin = | complete = | dedicated = | open = 14 August 2019 | restore = | dismantled = | dedicated_to = Those who died in the Peterloo Massacre of 16 August 1819 | map_name = | map_text = | map_width = | map_relief = | coordinates = {{coords|53.4766|-2.2457|display=inline,title}} | website = {{url|http://peterloomassacre.org}} | extra = }}

The '''Peterloo Memorial''' is a memorial in Manchester, England, commemorating the Peterloo Massacre. It is sited close to the site of the massacre and was unveiled on 14 August 2019.

== Description == The Peterloo Memorial Campaign Group had been lobbying for a fitting memorial to the Peterloo Massacre for over ten years.<ref name="theguardian">{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2018/nov/01/manchester-jeremy-deller-unveils-design-for-peterloo-memorial|title=Manchester: Jeremy Deller unveils design for Peterloo memorial &#124; UK news|website=The Guardian|date=November 2018 |accessdate=2018-11-01 |last1=Pidd |first1=Helen }}</ref> In 2019, shortly before the 200th anniversary of the massacre, Manchester City Council "quietly unveiled" a new £1 million memorial by the artist Jeremy Deller.<ref name="Guardian 2019-08-13">{{Cite news |last=Halliday |first=Josh |date=13 August 2019 |title=Peterloo memorial quietly unveiled three days before anniversary |url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2019/aug/13/peterloo-memorial-jeremy-deller-unveiled-before-anniversary |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190817145828/https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2019/aug/13/peterloo-memorial-jeremy-deller-unveiled-before-anniversary |archive-date=17 August 2019 |access-date=18 August 2019 |work=The Guardian}}</ref> Designs for the memorial by Deller were first unveiled in November 2018.

The 1.8-metre-high and 11.6 metres wide memorial features 11 concentric steps engraved, sculpted from polished and inlaid British stone and carved with the names 18 of the victims and the places from which they came.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1">{{Cite web |date=2018-11-01 |title=Designs for Jeremy Deller's Peterloo memorial in Manchester unveiled |url=https://www.visitmanchester.com/ideas-and-inspiration/blog/post/designs-for-jeremy-deller-s-peterloo-memorial-in-manchester-unveiled/ |access-date=2024-03-26 |website=www.visitmanchester.com |language=en-us}}</ref> The material not visible from the ground is reproduced at ground level, and there is a floor plaque.<ref name="Guardian 2019-08-16">{{cite news |last=Halliday |first=Josh |date=16 August 2019 |title=Manchester gets ready for noisy tribute to the dead of Peterloo |url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2019/aug/16/manchester-gets-ready-for-noisy-tribute-to-the-dead-of-peterloo |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190817145821/https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2019/aug/16/manchester-gets-ready-for-noisy-tribute-to-the-dead-of-peterloo |archive-date=17 August 2019 |access-date=18 August 2019 |work=The Guardian}}</ref>

The stone used includes "granites, sandstones, slates, and marbles from all regions of the UK and potentially further afield – places that would have been part of the British Empire in 1819".<ref name=":1" /> These include:<ref name=":0" /> Broughton Moor slate; Welsh Cwt-y-Bugail slate; Peak Moor sandstone; Cove red sandstone; DeLank granite; St Bees red sandstone; and Scottish dolerite.

== Response == The memorial was inaugurated at a large public gathering on 16 August 2019, widely reported in the press, covered extensively on regional TV and radio, and marked by a special edition of the ''Manchester Evening News''.<ref>{{Cite news |date=16 August 2019 |title=Peterloo 200 years on |url=https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/peterloo-200-years-on-manchester-16729620 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191130163452/https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/peterloo-200-years-on-manchester-16729620 |archive-date=30 November 2019 |access-date=21 March 2020 |work=Manchester Evening News}}</ref> It has since become widely appreciated and visited, and the Peterloo Memorial Campaign site states that it is 'Proud to have campaigned for a respectful, informative and permanent Peterloo Memorial at the heart of Manchester'.<ref>{{cite web |date=2019 |title=@peterloomemoria |url=https://twitter.com/peterloomemoria?lang=en |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220816032255/https://twitter.com/peterloomemoria?lang=en |archive-date=16 August 2022 |access-date=21 March 2020 |website=Peterloo Memorial Campaign Twitter feed}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |date=5 March 2020 |title=Manchester City Council Communities and Equaklities Scrutiny Committee 5 March 2020 item 10. |url=https://manchester.public-i.tv/core/portal/webcast_interactive/476956 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200321230419/https://manchester.public-i.tv/core/portal/webcast_interactive/476956 |archive-date=21 March 2020 |access-date=22 March 2020 |website=Manchester City Council video minutes}}</ref>

The lack of disabled access to the monument has been criticised.<ref name="place">{{cite web |title=Peterloo memorial completed in city centre |url=https://www.placenorthwest.co.uk/news/peterloo-memorial-completed-in-city-centre/ |publisher=Place North West |accessdate=13 November 2019 |date=14 August 2019}}</ref><ref name="core">{{cite news |last1=Core |first1=Kevin |title=Jeremy Deller Peterloo monument unveiled amid disability row |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-49333004 |accessdate=13 November 2019 |work=BBC News |date=14 August 2019}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{cite web|title=Peterloo memorial branded 'million-pound embarrassment' after latest access failure|url=https://www.disabilitynewsservice.com/peterloo-memorial-branded-million-pound-embarrassment-after-latest-access-failure/ |accessdate=12 March 2021 |date=11 March 2021}}</ref> While the structure met the official standards for access, it was also interpreted by some as a 'speaking platform' made universally inaccessible by its stepped design. The city council explored modification options to try and rectify this, but it has proven very difficult to design a wheelchair ramp that does not damage or block substantial parts of the inscriptions.<ref name="Guardian 2019-08-13" /><ref name="Guardian 2019-08-16" />

==References== {{Reflist}}

==External links== * {{Official website|www.Peterloomassacre.org}}

Category:2019 establishments in England Category:Monuments and memorials in Manchester Category:Peterloo massacre

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