Manchester Cenotaph

The Manchester Cenotaph in St Peter's Square, Manchester, England, was designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens. Built in Portland stone, 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; "a pylon in diminishing stages with a figure of the Unknown Soldier 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 on the site in 1789–94 by James Wyatt and demolished in 1907. The north-east side of the memorial bears the inscription in capital letters: To the honoured memory of those who gave their lives for their country. On the south west side the inscription, again in capitals, is: O Lord God of our fathers keep forever 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 announced a consultation on moving the cenotaph to an alternative site within St Peter's Square to allow for the expansion of the nearby Metrolink.