The Manchester Cenotaph in St Peter's Square, Manchester

St Peter's Square, Manchester

St Peter's Square Metrolink station is a Manchester Metrolink station located on St Peter's Square, Manchester city centre.Metrolink trams from Altrincham and Eccles serve two platforms in the west of the square which are located directly in front of Manchester Central Library...

, England, was designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens. Built in Portland stone

Portland stone

Portland stone is a limestone from the Tithonian stage of the Jurassic period quarried on the Isle of Portland, Dorset. The quarries consist of beds of white-grey limestone separated by chert beds. It has been used extensively as a building stone throughout the British Isles, notably in major...

, it was erected in 1924 as a memorial to those who lost their lives in the First World War. It is similar to the cenotaph designed by Lutyens for Whitehall

Whitehall

Whitehall is a road in Westminster, in London, England. It is the main artery running north from Parliament Square, towards Charing Cross at the southern end of Trafalgar Square...

; "a pylon in diminishing stages with a figure of the Unknown Soldier

Tomb of the Unknown Soldier

Tomb of the Unknown Soldier refers to a grave in which the unidentifiable remains of a soldier are interred. Such tombs can be found in many nations and are usually high-profile national monuments. Throughout history, many soldiers have died in wars without their remains being identified...

 draped in a greatcoat on top". The cenotaph sits in a memorial garden designed by L. C. Howitt, which also contains a stone cross commemorating the Church of St Peter, built in 1789–94 by James Wyatt

James Wyatt

James Wyatt RA , was an English architect, a rival of Robert Adam in the neoclassical style, who far outdid Adam in his work in the neo-Gothic style.-Early classical career:...

 and demolished in 1907. The north-east side of the memorial bears the inscription: TO THE HONOURED MEMORY OF THOSE WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES FOR THEIR COUNTRY. On the south west side the inscription is: O LORD GOD OF OUR FATHERS KEEP FOR EVER IN THE IMAGINATION OF THE THOUGHTS OF THE HEART OF THY PEOPLE.
The Cenotaph was designated a Grade II* listed building on 3 September 1974.

During March 2011, Manchester City Council

Manchester City Council

Manchester City Council is the local government authority for Manchester, a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. It is composed of 96 councillors, three for each of the 32 electoral wards of Manchester. Currently the council is controlled by the Labour Party and is led by...

 announced a consultation on moving the cenotaph to an alternative site within St Peter's Square in order for the nearby Metrolink

Manchester Metrolink

Metrolink is a light rail system in Greater Manchester, England. It consists of four lines which converge in Manchester city centre and terminate in Bury, Altrincham, Eccles and Chorlton-cum-Hardy. The system is owned by Transport for Greater Manchester and operated under contract by RATP Group...

station to be expanded.