Manchester’s Northern Quarter may be famous for its street art, indie shops, and creative energy, but for long-time residents, there’s still something missing. A much-loved trombone-shaped sculpture, affectionately known as The Big Horn, once loomed large over Church Street like a surreal brass beacon. Now, one determined local is leading a rallying cry to bring it back.
On Friday 4th July at 10am, city centre resident and community campaigner Fiona Moinuddin is launching a petition calling on Manchester City Council and the future developers of the Church Street multi-storey car park to reinstate the ten-metre-tall artwork to its rightful place.
Bringing back the Big Horn!
“The Big Horn is more than just a sculpture, it’s a symbol of our community’s history, creativity and identity,” Fiona told us. “When you arrived in the Northern Quarter, it was the first thing you saw, a bit bonkers, but brilliant. Its absence has left a giant horn-shaped hole in the skyline.”
Originally installed in 1999, The Big Horn was created by Cornish sculptor David Kemp and funded by a partnership including the Arts Council, Manchester City Council, and the Northern Quarter Association. Positioned above the old Rylands & Co hat factory ruins, it celebrated the city’s industrial roots while injecting a splash of whimsy into the urban streetscape.
But in 2017, the horn was silenced. During redevelopment work by Salboy (part-owned by businessman Fred Done), the sculpture was taken down and put into storage. It’s been missing ever since.
In a video launching her campaign, Fiona asks a pointed question: “This is about who gets to shape our city centre. Is it big greedy developers, or is it the people that live in Manchester?”
A petition to bring back The Big Horn
The petition lays out three simple demands:
- Reinstall the Tib Street Big Horn in a prominent and publicly accessible spot on the redeveloped Church Street site.
- Fully restore the sculpture, including conservation work and a plaque explaining its origins.
- Involve the community in deciding where it goes and how to enhance the public space around it.
Fiona will also be meeting with local councillors and Manchester City Council’s leadership to hand in the petition and push for the horn’s triumphant return.
“It was joyful, playful, and totally Northern Quarter,” said one passerby who remembered the sculpture from its heyday. “I used to meet mates under it before a night out, now it’s just flats and blank walls.”
You can add your name to the petition by clicking here and follow Fiona’s campaign on her social media channels.
