On 28th November, as part of our 16 Days of Action and to mark National Tree Week, we planted a Larch Larix Decidua in Speaker’s Corner at Alexandra Park to celebrate our Centenary.
Angela and the Friends of Alexandra Park welcomed us warmly with hot tea and biscuits. Angela also shared a captivating talk and film on the park’s history, including how funding from the Heritage Lottery has breathed new life into the park, restoring its place as one of Manchester’s true People’s Parks.
When Alexandra Park opened in 1870, public rallies weren’t permitted and Speaker’s Corner was the only place the bylaws allowed people to meet. Our Centenary tree stands on the upper end of the raised wall—an area that served as the park’s unofficial Speaker’s Corner. It was near here that the famous 1908 rally took place, with ten platforms (or soapboxes) featuring speakers discussing housing, health, prison reform, education, peace, labour laws, child protection, social ethics, the Poor Law, and votes for women.
From records at the Pankhurst Centre, member Susan Hollick discovered that Manchester Soroptimists (which was established as a club before all women got the vote) wrote letters expressing their support for the Suffragettes. It’s possible that some of our early members attended rallies and meetings held at Speaker’s Corner in Alexandra Park.
The Alexandra Park Arboricultural Team was enthusiastic about our Centenary planting becoming a real feature. They recommended the Larch Larix Decidua, a species known for its golden-yellow autumn foliage. Our tree currently stands at 2 metres tall, but it has the potential to reach 40 metres (130 feet.)
This tree has a carbon credit score of A and can expect to live 350 years in our urban environment.
Rachelle Manders-Ratcliff
For more information on Alexandra Park, please see our winter newsletter.
