To think of one single image that defines Manchester is no easy task. (Believe me, we've tried!)
 | | England's finest? Wallace and Gromit |
We may not have an Angel of the North, or a Big Ben, but there is no doubt Manchester - and the North in general - has contributed hugely to the cultural landscape of England: from the Manchester music scene and Lowry's paintings, to the majestic sight of Andrew Flintoff swinging the bat to help win the Ashes. In fact, you could argue that Manchester itself - the most creative city in the country - is a cultural icon of modern England. Discuss. ICONS.org.uk Today (9 January 2006) saw the launch of ICONS – A Portrait of England, an interactive project commissioned by Culture Online.
 | | Fish and chips |
The project aims to kick-start a national debate about what makes England what it is in the 21st century and to encourage members of the public to nominate their cultural icons. Looking at the front-runners, we couldn't help but notice the London bias - the BT Tower, Big Ben; the London Eye; the London Routemaster bus; Nelson's Column etc etc So why not redress the balance by putting forward some Northern icons? Whether it's the Royle Family, fish and chips, Rusholme's Curry Mile; Wallace & Gromit or the humble garden shed, it's time to give it some Northern welly! How to nominate
Go to www.ICONS.org.uk - and click on the 'Nominations' tab. You can also vote on other people's nominations. On the message board Share your thoughts with people on the Manchester message board.
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