One of the Albert Square statues, the John Bright monument commemorates the native of Rochdale, a Quaker, one of the members of the Anti-Corn Law League, and an opponent of the British foreign policy in the second half of the 19th century. A short walk from John Btight stands William Gladstone, in whose prime-ministry Bright had made his mark. He stood for Durham, Manchester, and Birmingham, and is buried in the grave-yard of the meeting house of the Religious Society of Friends in Rochdale.
The statue closely follows the existing portraits and engravings of Bright, and we see a venerable and pensive figure, with rather robust facial features. Unlike Gladstone who is all passion and movement, Bright is upright and solid – an image of confidence and stance.
