A STATUE of Marshall Stevens, Trafford Park founder and the first general manager of the Manchester Ship Canal Company, has come out of storage and has a new home.

Marshall Stevens saw the potential of the land in close proximity to the Ship Canal. He joined Trafford Park Estates as its managing director in January 1897 and was the inspiration behind the development of Trafford Park.

Following his death in 1936 a subscription among shareholders in Trafford Park was made to pay for a memorial which was designed and executed by Arthur Sherwood Edwards of Ashton-on-Mersey and took the form of a 22.5 tonne block of Welsh granite with a bronze bas relief portrait medallion and inscription.

Metrovicks factory produced the medallion and the memorial was unveiled in October 1937.

The memorial was originally sited at the junction of Trafford Park Road and Ashburton Road. In 1993 the introduction of a new road layout in Trafford Park meant it was relocated to Wharfside Promenade.

When work commenced for the new Imperial War Museum North the memorial once again found itself on the move - into temporary storage.

Trafford Council have worked with Trafford Park Heritage Centre to find the memorial a permanent resting place and are delighted to announce that the Marshall Stevens memorial is now in residence at the junction of Third Avenue and Eleventh Street in the heart of Trafford Park, opposite the heritage centre.

A service with ex-workers and residents from Trafford Park took place on May 2 when the Mayor of Trafford, Councillor Bernard Sharp, officially marked the occasion.

Elizabeth Walker, Marshall Stevens's great niece, said: "The family are delighted that the monument has been restored and express to all those concerned our sincere appreciation for the effort and hard work in its restoration and rededication"

Kevin Flanagan, manager of Trafford Park Heritage Centre, said: The rededication of the monument is an important day for Trafford Park, reminding us of the vision and enthusiasm that helped to make the area what it is today. Marshall Stevens is one of the unsung heroes of Manchester. Trafford Park owes him so much. It is right the monument is now back in the historic heart of the estate where thousands will see it on a daily basis opposite the Heritage Centre, home of so much history about the area."