A Monument To Vimto (2020)
Granby Row, Manchester M1 3WE

A sculpture of a huge Vimto bottle in the grounds of the University of Manchester, surrounded by oversized ingredients. Not far from Piccadilly station and The Gay Village. pronounced V I M T O - not V I M P T O as Damon Gough aka Badly Drawn Boy only recently, and inexcusably, realised*. The drink Vimto was created, not far from this sculpture's location at 19 Granby Row in 1908 by Scottish chemist John Noel Nichols who saw an opportunity to market a non-alcoholic drink to the growing temperance movement. Originally called Vim Tonic, only 5 people know the secret recipe, and when one home brewer decided to post a Vimto recipe online, it was quickly withdrawn for reasons unknown, but I dare say the Vimto mafia will have had a hand in its removal from the home brewing forum.The current recipe allegedly contains traces of codeine, but somehow i doubt that. The drink , if you don't know is a mixture of juices from raspberries, blackcurrants, and grapes - and ingredient V1 V2 and V3 - to name but three.

The statue you see in the image 'A Monument to Vimto', was carved out of an oak tree from a sustainable forest by Environmental Artist,  Kerry Morrison. The statue was restored and repainted in 2011. Kerry doesn't seem to have a website currently - so we are unable to link her work from here. 

*We've all made the same mistake and added a 'P'