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Full-length portrait statue of Brierley, dressed in frock coat, who is shown at a public recital, his left hand holding the manuscript from which he is reciting, in the other hand are the finished pages.

Discussions among his friends about providing a memorial over Ben Brierley's grave suggested that there was sufficient support to provide a more substantial monument. The idea of a statue was discussed publicly in the summer of 1897. A memorial committee, chaired by George Milner, president of the Manchester Literary Club, was established. It was to be Milner and other members of the club who were principally responsible for organising the fund raising and the commissioning of the statue. Money for the memorial, including small donations from working people, began to be collected, allowing the committee to request a portrait statue from the Manchester sculptor, John Cassidy. The limited funds, however, determined that it would be in Portland stone rather than a more expensive material. Optimistically, Portland stone was referred to as a durable stone that would resist the city's smoky atmosphere. Cassidy began carving the five-ton block of stone in the first week in February 1898 and completed the statue by the last week of April. He worked from photographs, producing a likeness that received the approval of Brierley's widow as well as others who had known him. The cost of the memorial was some £350. Queen's Park, Harpurhey was the location agreed with the City Council, the statue facing the entrance to the museum and art gallery. It was an appropriate site; Brierley knew Harpuhey well, and the park was next to the cemetery in which he was buried. Ben Brierley was not only the first portrait statue to be placed in one of the Manchester parks, it was also the first statue in Manchester to be raised to a literary figure. It was unveiled by George Milner in April 1898. The ceremony attracted a large crowd in spite of the rain. Milner who had known Brierley well, paid tribute to the dialect writer whom he characterised as a typical Lancashire man. Support for the statue, he pointed out, had come from all social groups but particularly from the working classes. Milner traced this support to the love of his dialect writings among Lancashire working families, and because Brierley provided 'a noble example of what a poor man, suffering from absolute poverty and even starvation in his youth, could do to get himself an education.' At a further celebration in the evening, at which all of the recitations were from Brierley's writings, Milner spoke again of Brierley's achievements and reminded his listeners that they had raised a truly democratic monument, erected ' to a man of the people, who was a poor man, and never aspired to be more than a poor man.' The Portland stone used for the statue did not prove as hard wearing as had been expected. By the 1920s "Owd Ben" was showing signs of 'serious deterioration from the unpropitious atmosphere.' The problem was discussed by the Town Hall Committee which agreed to take action and the statue was restored in 1929. The statue remained a feature of the park until the 1980s when it was pushed off its pedestal and severely damaged. The pieces were collected and stored at Heaton Park. An assessment was made to repair the statue but it was rejected on the grounds of cost. The pedestal remains in its original position in Queen's Park.

Ben Brierley (1825-1896) was born on 26 June 1825 into a working-class family in Failsworth, near Manchester. His father was a handloom weaver. He had little formal education beginning work in the textile industry whilst still a young boy. A passion for literature led him into writing, some of which was published in local newspapers. By 1863 he had left the textile industry to take up a position as sub-editor of the Oldham Times. His dialect sketches especially those featuring Owd Ab-o'th'- Yate became immensely popular in Lancashire. His reputation increased and by the 1870s he was recognised, along with Edwin Waugh, as one of the principal Lancashire dialect writers. His published works include The Layrock of Langleyside (1864), Irkdale (1865) and Ab-o'-th'-Yate on Times and Things (1868). He also founded and edited Ben Brierley's Journal from 1869 to 1891. An autobiography Home Memories was published in 1886. In the previous year his Lancashire admirers presented him with a testimonial of £650, the cheque suitably enclosed in an old stocking. He was a founder member of the Manchester Literary Club. Brierley served as a city councillor for St Michael's ward from 1875- 1881. He died on 18 January 1896 and was buried in Harpurhey Cemetery.

circa

raw year

Condition

At risk

Inscriptions

Signatures

Statue

Portland Stone

236 cm high approx

pedestal

stone

244 cm high

Corrosion, Deterioration

Broken, missing parts

Face smashed

Structural damage

see above