Robert Owen Monument

The role of Robert Owen (1771-1858) in the history of Manchester and The Co-operative Group is impossible to underestimate. A native of Wales, he worked extensively in Lancashire and Scotland, with a short stint in the United States. Owen's biggest enterprises, both in business and philosophy, owe a great deal to his living in Manchester. Such central areas as St Ann's Square and London Road (by Piccadilly train station), as well as Ancoats, Chorlton, and Rochdale, are all marked by the work and thought of this great social reformer of the 19th c.


Owen's ideas and work were the foundation for the Rochdale Co-operative Society, which in its turn brought about the co-operative movement. It is therefore no wonder that Owen's statue is to be found exactly between the old and new headquarters of The Co-operative Group, on the corner of Balloon St. Renowned for his concern for child labour, Owen is seen protecting an orphaned girl.


Balloon St can be accessed from Corporation St, Victoria Train Station, or Shudehill Interchange.