Manchester’s scores of heartfelt tributes to the late Queen Elizabeth II are going to be preserved in a special city archive, the council has announced.
The archive will also include the city’s official Books of Condolence and the messages attached to flowers which were left for Her Majesty in St Ann’s Square. Already, a sea of floral tributes have been left in the square around the Richard Cobden statue.
Now, it’s been confirmed that mourners will be able to leave flowers in the square until the day after the funeral, which will see the nation come to a standstill on Monday (September 19). The Books of Condolence, in the Central Library, will also be open until Tuesday.
After the mourning period comes to a close, messages that have been left with the flowers will be removed from the floral tributes by a team of volunteers to be preserved for the archive, before the flowers themselves are removed for eventual composting. The creation of the archive will provide future generations of Mancunians a glimpse into how the city felt about Queen Elizabeth II, according to Bev Craig.
The council leader said: "The death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II is something that has been felt by the whole nation, and not least here in Manchester where we recognise and thank her for her support to the city during times good and bad.
"For most of us she is the only national figurehead we have known. Her seven decades of service to all of us is unlikely to be matched by another monarch - certainly in our lifetimes and possibly ever.
"It's clear from the messages left in remembrance of her both in our Books of Condolence and with the many floral tributes, that Her Majesty holds a special place in the hearts and minds of many Mancunians and that she will continue to do so.
"We plan to hold onto those thoughts and feelings on behalf of the city in a special archive so that generations from now our children, our grandchildren, and their children, will be able to look back and see for themselves exactly what our longest-serving monarch meant to Manchester, the country, and the world."
The council has already confirmed that several big screens are to be set up so residents can pay their respects and watch the funeral on Monday. The screens will be in Cathedral Gardens, Exchange Square and inside Manchester Cathedral.
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