Peel Memorial

The Peel Memorial is a public statue by Edward Hodges Baily, a 19th-century British artist best known for sculpting Nelson on Nelson's Column. It stands in the centre of Bury, Greater Manchester, England, and commemorates the life of Sir Robert Peel—twice UK Prime Minister and founder of the British Conservative Party—who was born in Bury. The statue is made of bronze and stands 3.5 metres (11 ft) tall. Peel is depicted in contemporary dress with a long coat, shown as if "addressing the House of Commons on the memorable subject of Free Trade". The statue is mounted on a granite pedestal measuring 3.66 metres (12 ft) in height. The front of the pedestal bears the Peel family coat of arms and the word "Peel" in bronze capital letters. The left and right sides feature bronze bas-reliefs representing Commerce and Navigation, while the back of the pedestal displays a circular bronze panel containing a quotation from one of Peel's speeches. The statue was originally surrounded by an iron railing with gas lights at each corner, although these were later removed.