If you have been walking down Mosley Street recently, you may have noticed that thousands of white flowers line the entrance of the Manchester art gallery.
They are Imitating a WWI type bunker and the evocative display is part of the National Trust’s ‘Manchester Snowdrop City’ project.
Last year to mark the centenary of the First World War local volunteers, community groups and schools gathered together to plant 100,000 snowdrop bulbs across a number of city centre sites. Snowdrops were chosen as they were planted at war graves during the First World War to remind soldiers of home.
The small white flowers, a symbol of hope and peace, are now starting to bloom and will leave a lasting legacy when they flower each year for the enjoyment of many who visit, work and live in Manchester.i
The poignant display at the Gallery is designed to showcase this city-wide project by featuring snowdrops growing out of the bunkers as if the war is over, leading visitors to the Stanley Spencer art exhibition currently showing at Manchester Art Gallery. ‘Heaven in a Hell of War’ presents the work of one of the most acclaimed British painters of the 20th century Stanley Spencer, who served as a soldier in Salonika during the war.
His work is currently on loan from the National Trust’s Sandham Memorial Chapel and is probably the only time people in Manchester will be able to see the paintings in the city. Both the exhibition and installation finish on March 1.
‘Snowdrop City’ and other city gardening projects are the handiwork of National Trust’s Gardener in Residence, Sean Harkin. He is working with organisations to champion innovative and creative ways to use green space in order to make Manchester a more beautiful place for all. After the installation, Sean and volunteers will plant the snowdrops into their permanent home in Brookdale Park, Newton Heath.
Sean said, “This display is unique. Never before has the city seen almost 30,000 snowdrops brought up to eye level and blooming out of sandbags. We are incredibly proud of this project that the people of Manchester have created together to remember the people of the First World War – ‘Lest we Forget’. We are looking forward to working with the gallery on further projects throughout the calendar year.”
