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Alan Turing Memorial

The Alan Turing Memorial is a sculpture in Sackville Gardens in Manchester, England, commemorating Alan Turing, the pioneer of modern computing. It depicts Turing seated on a bench in the centre of the park, holding an apple. The memorial also reflects Turing’s significance as a gay icon, with its location near Canal Street in Manchester’s gay village. The sculpture was unveiled on 23 June 2001, Turing’s birthday. It was conceived by Richard Humphry, funded through donations and a village lottery, and sculpted by Glyn Hughes. The statue was cast by the Tianjin Focus Company in China after the cost of casting it in Britain proved too high.

Alan Turing Memorial bronze statue seated on a park bench holding an apple.
The Alan Turing Memorial shows a bronze figure seated on a park bench with an apple in hand.
· CC BY-SA 3.0
Alan Turing Memorial bronze statue of a man sitting on a park bench holding an apple, with an information board nearby.
The Alan Turing Memorial shows a bronze figure seated on a bench in a park setting.
October 2009 © · CC BY-SA 4.0
Alan Turing Memorial bronze statue seated on a bench holding an apple, with a mosaic foreground and park behind it.
The Alan Turing Memorial shows a bronze figure seated on a bench in a park setting.
August 2017 © AnonymousUnknown author · CC BY-SA 4.0
Alan Turing Memorial statue on a park bench surrounded by colorful flower bouquets.
The Alan Turing Memorial is nearly covered in flowers in this side view of the statue.
June 2018 © Tess Reddington · CC BY-SA 4.0
Back of the Alan Turing Memorial statue seated on a park bench in a green park.
The back of the Alan Turing Memorial statue on a bench in Sackville Park.
September 2004 © · CC BY-SA 3.0

Identification

TitleAlan Turing Memorial
Typememorial statue
SubjectAlan Turing
Alternative titlesPomnik Alana Turinga; Le Mémorial Alan Turing; Monumento a Alan Turing

Historical context

Dedicated toAlan Turing (1912–1954), English mathematician, logician, cryptographer, and pioneer of modern computing
Reason for locationPlaced near the University of Manchester and Canal Street because of their association with Turing's scientific legacy and LGBT significance
Commemoration contextMemorial to Alan Turing after his conviction for gross indecency/homosexuality and his suspected suicide in 1954

Location and ownership

LocationSackville Gardens, Manchester, England
Nearby areaNear Canal Street, in Manchester's gay village
Setting within parkCentral position in the park
Nearby landmarksUniversity of Manchester buildings, including the former Sackville Street Building and the Faculty of Engineering and Physical Sciences office; Rochdale Canal

Creator

Designer / conceptualizerRichard Humphry, a barrister/lawyer from Stockport
SculptorGlyn Hughes, an industrial sculptor from Adlington near Westhoughton

Discovery and provenance

Fundraising period12 months
Reason for casting locationCasting the statue in Britain was estimated to cost £50,000, so it was made in China instead
Estimated British casting cost£50,000
Casting locationChina, at Tianjin Focus Company
Funds raised£16,000
Funding assistanceRoy Jackson, who had previously raised funds for HIV/AIDS and gay awareness in Manchester
PatronDerek Jacobi
Fundraising methodDonations and a village lottery
Memorial fundAlan Turing Memorial Fund
Fund purposeTo raise funds for the memorial

Physical characteristics

DepictionAlan Turing seated on a bench, holding an apple
PoseSitting alone on a park bench
Object heldApple, described as his last apple
InscriptionBench inscription: "Alan Mathison Turing 1912–1954" and "IEKYF ROMSI ADXUO KVKZC GUBJ"; plaque text includes "Father of Computer Science, Mathematician, Logician, Wartime Codebreaker, Victim of Prejudice" and a quotation by Bertrand Russell
Additional encoded text"MBJSU UEZGQ VKMXC AFROI HHKYD" and "LJYDN VCDTO BAWQL PURCX IZNVE" were included in the planning application, with the latter intended for the plaque by Turing's feet

Materials

MaterialBronze
Bench materialCast bronze

Iconography and meaning

Interpretation of memorialA tribute to Turing as a victim of prejudice and a hero beyond his homeland
Apple symbolismAlludes to Turing's presumed death by cyanide poisoning, forbidden love, the tree of knowledge, and the apple/Newton legend
Symbolic interpretationSeen as both a gay icon and an icon of computing
Interpretation of coded textAn artistic impression of an Enigma cipher rather than a literal one; the commonly given plaintext is disputed because Enigma cannot encode a letter as itself
Encoded mottoThe bench carries an Enigma-style coded motto, described by Hughes as a motto encoded by the German Enigma

History and restoration

Unveiling date23 June 2001
Unveiling significanceTuring's birthday
Associated eventsThe London 2012 Olympic torch stopped at the statue on Turing's 100th birthday; flowers were placed at the memorial in 2012 and again in 2018 as part of the Flowers for Turing project

Significance

Cultural categoriesLGBT history; LGBT history of the United Kingdom; cultural representations of Alan Turing