Sculpture trail

Monument to the Third Millennium. This sculpture by Adrian Moakes represents a shoal of fish swimming upwards through a vortex of water. Influenced by the river Irwell which was once rich in wildlife, this fish were killed off by industrial pollution. This sculpture celebrates the river’s recent regeneration including the reappearance of fish and wildlife.

Music interlude followed by spoken content by DIY Theatre:

Looking back
Pollution in the Irwell
Dirty smoky factories
Poison in the water
Choking wildlife

Smelly sewage
Ugly Rubbish
It stinks!
Don’t go in the river!
It will make you ill

Looking forward to the
Beautiful Irwell
Fresh green water
Salmon can swim in
Taking care
Of our environment.

Golden fish
Dancing in the river
Birds chatting,
Smell the flowers
Animals can drink and swim.

Outro:

Words devised and recorded by DIY Theatre company with sound design and music by Dan Steele of Unlimited Headroom Sound Design. We hope you enjoyed it!  Complete the trail and discover the other sculptures around Peel Park.

Follow the trail, telling the tales, telling the tails of Peel Park
Follow the trail, telling the tales, telling the tales of Peel Park

The Fabric of Nature. Designed by Julia Hilton this sculpture drew its inspiration from the patterns of nature, the park’s flower beds and the nearby river. She wrote that from above the earthwork image is like a piece of Victorian textile design. The central seating area contained a series of stainless-steel panels etched with the images of the leaves of trees growing in the park, and once bore the inscription ‘We are but whirlpools in a river of ever flowing water we are not stuff that abides, but patterns that perpetuate themselves’.

Music interlude followed by spoken content by DIY Theatre:

Spiral
Whirlpool
Petal
Secret
A mouth
Hide and seek
A leaf
Hiding place
A sleeping tree
Dragon Scales
Tornado
Spinning
Stepping stones
Underground trench
Hidden
Bloom
A feather
A closing eye
Ancient history
Patterns

Outro:

Words devised and recorded by DIY Theatre company with sound design and music by Dan Steele of Unlimited Headroom Sound Design. We hope you enjoyed it! Complete the trail and discover the other sculptures around Peel Park.

Follow the trail, telling the tales, telling the tails of Peel Park
Follow the trail, telling the tales, telling the tales of Peel Park

The Flood Obelisk. In November 1866 the river Irwell bursts its banks flooding much of lower Broughton. The flood was said to be ‘More extensive and devastating in its effects than perhaps any that has occurred in this locality within the memory of living man’. Three men drowned and many others, including the park keeper, had to be rescued from the upper story of their homes.

Music interlude followed by spoken content by DIY Theatre:

It rained and rained for days and days and days
and the water got higher and higher and higher
and the River Irwell burst its banks.

Yes and the park was full of water
and the trees got flooded and went under water
and the fish in the river died
and the birds stopped singing
and the cows had to swim to survive.

Yes and the water got uncontrollable and flooded the houses
and it was very scary
and everyone’s houses were washed out
and there was nothing the fire brigade or the police or the Park Keepers could do.

Yes and people were trapped in their houses.

Even the Park Keeper had to climb to the top of his roof.

People had to be rescued in boats.

And they huddled together to keep warm
because the water was freezing cold.

Outro:

Words devised and recorded by DIY Theatre company with sound design and music by Dan Steele of Unlimited Headroom Sound Design. We hope you enjoyed it! Complete the trail and discover the other sculptures around Peel Park.

Follow the trail, telling the tales, telling the tails of Peel Park
Follow the trail, telling the tales, telling the tales of Peel Park

Joseph Brotherton. Salford’s first member of parliament, he was elected in 1832 and quickly became a popular and successful MP, rallying support for the creation of parks and libraries amongst other schemes to improve the lives of working people. He was instrumental in the establishment of Peel Park. He was a pioneering vegetarian, against child labour and an all round good bloke. He built schools, opened a lending library and started a fund to support the victims of the Peterloo Massacre. In parliament he campaigned against the death penalty, for the abolition of slavery, and free education for all.

If you could, what questions would you like to ask Joseph Brotherton? And we will now go to our reporters, who have some questions for Mr. Brotherton. As we go back, way back, back through the mists of time.

Why did you not want child labour?

Well I believed that the conditions and the working hours in the factories were terrible and too much for children to bare.

Which School did you go to?

I didn’t receive any formal education, I studied many things myself, and I liked things such as studying the French language, and Philosophy, and Science as well.

Wy did you want to be an MP?

I wanted to dedicate my life to helping people, and I wanted to help create change and stand up for the people.

What was your favourite food?

I loved vegetarian food, I was a vegetarian, and particularly some recipes from my wife Martha’s cook book. Which was vegetable cookery and known to be the first vegetarian cook book.

Why did you set up the park?

At that time, due to the conditions of the factories, people weren’t getting enough of the healthy lifestyle. So we wanted to create a place where everybody, no matter who you were could benefit from the healthy lifestyle, and being outdoors.

Where did you live, was it near the park?

I lived quite close to the park, Rose Hill, Pendleton. So it wasn’t far away.

What did you do in your spare time, did you just dedicate yourself to your work and the park?

I liked to go for walks in my spare time. However, most of my time was spent doing work.

How long were you a vegetarian?

I was a vegetarian for most of my life due to the fact that I was a member of the Bible Christian Church. We weren’t allowed to eat meat.

How long were you an MP for?

I was a member of parliament from 1832, all the way through to 1857. So for 25 years in total.

Welcome back to today!

Outro:

Words devised and recorded by DIY Theatre company with sound design and music by Dan Steele of Unlimited Headroom Sound Design. We hope you enjoyed it! Complete the trail and discover the other sculptures around Peel Park.

Follow the trail, telling the tales, telling the tails of Peel Park
Follow the trail, telling the tales, telling the tales of Peel Park

The quatrefoil. Peel Park opened on the 22 August, 1846. The park fell into disrepair during the latter part of the 20th Century. But after a successful bid to the heritage lottery fund in 2017 it has been restored to its iconic 1890s layout.

It was thought that when Salford Rugby League football club, now Salford Reds, won the challenge cup in 1938, to celebrate the win part of Peel Park was designed in the shape of the cup. In fact, this design dates back to the 1890s and this view can be seen in paintings by L. S. Lowry. Recently the four circles have been redesigned after the Salford volunteer rangers took part in a competition. The flower beds are now more sustainable, using perennial herbaceous planting, which is brilliant for insects, especially bees.

Music interlude followed by spoken content by DIY Theatre:

My perfect Park has a sparkling river
with multi-coloured fish
My perfect Park has fantastic rainbow coloured birds
My perfect park has sparkly green grass

It has lots of lovely trees and beautiful flowers
It has a wheelchair friendly football pitch
Where the balls grow to any size

My perfect park has a peaceful, cosy café
with tasty coffee
It has trees with lovely green leaves
Barking dogs talking to each-other
Children playing on the colourful, relaxing swings.

Outro:

Words devised and recorded by DIY Theatre company with sound design and music by Dan Steele of Unlimited Headroom Sound Design. We hope you enjoyed it! Complete the trail and discover the other sculptures around Peel Park.

Follow the trail, telling the tales, telling the tails of Peel Park
Follow the trail, telling the tales, telling the tales of Peel Park

Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. In 1851 Queen Victoria visited Greater Manchester and the main venue for this visit was Peel Park. This was the first visit to the area by a royal in over 150 years and both Manchester and Salford went to great lengths to host a memorable event.

1851 had already been an important year for Prince Albert with the hugely successful Great Exhibition in Hyde Park, London, an event he was directly involved in and which celebrated science, industry and technology, and important connection with Manchester!

On the 10 October their procession set out through Salford to Peel Park, where it is said that 80,000 Sunday School children turned out to sing the national anthem to the queen. Queen Victoria responded with an address in which she expressed her great pleasure at seeing the attention that was paid to the education of the rising generation in Manchester and Salford.

Music interlude followed by spoken content by DIY Theatre:

We’re going to Peel Park to see the Queen

Yes and I’m going to put on a big coat because it’s going to be cold

Yes and to meet the queen
I’m going to put my hat on

And her husband Albert is going to accompany her

Yes and there will be lots of cheering

Yes and everybody will be very excited to see the Queen because she’s very posh

Yes and the Queen is going to wave

Yes and I’m going to feel enclosed with loads of people all around me

Yes and I’ll climb on somebody’s shoulders and get a piggy back to get a better view

Yes and the Queen will say hello

Yes and we’ll have to curtsy to the Queen

Yes and I might ask her out for dinner if she’s nice enough

How very charming I’d be delighted to join you for dinner

Yes and we’ll eat oysters and drink champagne

Yes and we’ll all wave as the Queen leaves

And we’ll all go home at the end of a very special day.

Singing of the national anthem:
God save our gracious Queen!
Long live our noble Queen!
God save the Queen!
Send her victorious,
Happy and glorious,
Long to reign over us,
God save the Queen

Outro:

Words devised and recorded by DIY Theatre company with sound design and music by Dan Steele of Unlimited Headroom Sound Design. We hope you enjoyed it! Complete the trail and discover the other sculptures around Peel Park.

Follow the trail, telling the tales, telling the tails of Peel Park
Follow the trail, telling the tales, telling the tales of Peel Park