Alan Turing Memorial
The Alan Turing Memorial is a bronze statue of the mathematician and codebreaker seated on a bench in Sackville Gardens, Manchester. Unveiled on his birthday in 2001, it sits between Canal Street's Gay Village and the former university building where he worked, and is free to visit any time.
Photos
Avinash Venkataraman
The statue
Sculptor Glyn Hughes, from Adlington, shows Turing sitting on a park bench holding an apple. The bronze was unveiled on 23 June 2001, Turing's birthday. Because casting in Britain would have cost around £50,000, it was cast in China. There is room on the bench beside him, which is why so many visitors sit down for a photo.
Details to look for
The bench carries the words 'Alan Mathison Turing 1912–1954' along with a string of letters that the sculptor describes as an Enigma-encoded motto. A plaque at his feet calls him 'Father of Computer Science, Mathematician, Logician, Wartime Codebreaker, Victim of Prejudice', followed by a quotation from Bertrand Russell on the beauty of mathematics.
Setting and nearby
The placement is deliberate: the University of Manchester's former Sackville Street Building is on one side and Canal Street, heart of the Gay Village, on the other. It is a short walk from Piccadilly station, so it is easy to stop on arrival. Chinatown's ornate arch on Faulkner Street is a few minutes away, and the Holiday Inn Manchester City Centre is close by. Benches around the gardens make it a calm place to pause.
Highlights
- Bronze statue by Glyn Hughes
- Unveiled 23 June 2001, Turing's birthday
- Enigma-encoded motto on the bench
- Between the Gay Village and the old university building
- Free, open-air memorial
Good to know
- It is in a public park, free to visit at any time.
- A short walk from Manchester Piccadilly station.
Frequently asked questions
Nearby
Sources: en.wikipedia.org