What's new in St Peter's Square?

I have got to say I am a fan of the new relocated Cenotaph outside the western door of the Town Hall.

Like many I watched the demolition of the sunken gardens and the surrounding square, tried to gain a glimpse of the work being done behind the huge hoardings and wondered about how it would finally turn out.

For me it does work with the added bonus that from the steps of Central Ref north to the Cenotaph and eventually out across towards One St Peter’s Square there is a brand new open space which affords great views of the  surrounding buildings.

Now compared with many Italian and French towns I do not think we do open spaces particularly well.

Like the old Crown Square they can be dismal windy places offering a few uncomfortable seats, a stretch of uneven paving stones and the odd bit of litter interspersed with a few weeds.

The area around St Peter’s Square is still a work in progress and I am not sure if the enlarged metro stop will encroach on the Cenotaph.

But in the mean time the area shows off those buildings along Princess Street in a way you couldn’t have seen them until recently and in the same way provides new views off across the tram lines down towards Oxford Street.

I still haven't made my mind up about One St Peter’s Square but know that I never liked the previous building and think I can remember what was there before that.

The test for all this new open space will be whether people feel comfortable sitting there.

On Saturday there were indeed lots of people taking in the last of the sun while sitting on the benches, and stopping to photograph the Ref, and the Cenotaph .

It will all have changed again in a matter of months, so with that in mind this was what it all looked like on the Saturday that St Helens played Widnes at Old Trafford and the sun briefly came out.

Pictures; St Peter’s Square and the Cenotaph, October 2014 from the collection of Andrew Simpson