The Genius of Lancashire

Percival Ball 1844 - 1900

Summary

White marble, nude female figure, representing 'Lancashire'. The figure stands with the left foot on the ground and the right leg bent, with the foot raised and resting behind her; she leans forward, with her head turned to the right, in order to bend a sword across her knee. Drapery falls behind her, partially obscuring the handle of the hammer to the left, and is pulled round to cover the top of the right thigh; her hair is covered with a scarf and tied back in a bun. She represents the arts of Peace and Commerce typified by the shuttle, Davy lamp, anvil, hammer and pick, all placed around her, in place of war represented by the blade she bends across her knee.

Display Label

Manchester's pride in itself has never wavered. Walk the streets, absorb its past and present. Impressive buildings and landmarks evoke the power and vitality of the historic city. The scale and grandeur of the city's ambitions are evident in the design of the Town Hall. Its striking appearance declared Manchester to be the greatest textile city in the world. Manchester was always first with inventions. Since the IRA bomb in 1996, the city itself has been reinvented. Today Mancunians can take fresh pride in the successful rebuilding of the city.