Cenotaph conservation for Remembrance Sunday

Manchester City Council has allocated £145,000 per annum for City Galleries to deliver a programme of conservation and maintenance for the City’s war memorials and public art.

As part of this programme, City Galleries' sculpture conservator, Stefan Strittmatter, is steam-cleaning the Cenotaph and St Peters Cross in readiness for Sunday's Remembrance ceremony.

This annual clean will remove some of the dirt and biological growth that has accumulated over the year.

In addition Galleries are working with Nicola Ashurst, widely recognised as one of the world's leading stone conservation specialists, to develop a programme of on-going research to enable them to understand the decay processes of the stonework and to monitor future changes.

This will enable Galleries to develop a conservation maintenance programme to ensure that Manchester's most significant and poignant memorial can be enjoyed by people today - and in the future.

Councillor Mike Amesbury, Executive Member for Culture and Leisure at Manchester City Council said: "Preparations are well underway for Remembrance Sunday, which is one of the most important dates in the year for Britain's everywhere as we come together to remember those who have sacrificed their lives for our freedom.

"The Cenotaph is a main focus of remembrance for Manchester and it is a priority for us to preserve this and other historical monuments in the long-term for the benefit of the city and future generations."

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