Take Five for an Eureka Moment!
Usually, there is not much to be found underneath the dozens of railway arches which are dotted around Manchester. There’s the occasional greasy spoon cafe, motor repair business or long abandoned, dank & musty premises with vandalised roller shutters. There is one railway arch in Manchester which hides a wonderful secret. It’s quite tricky to find. I will guarantee that when you do stumble across the particular arch, it will be one of those “Eureka” moments.
The sculpture called “Archimedes” depicts Archimedes jumping out of his bathtub in ancient Greece when he made his scientific discovery. The artist who created Archimedes is Thompson Dagnall. Thompson was born in Kirkby, Liverpool in 1956. He has created many sculptures which can be found across the North West of England and further afield also.
The sculpture depicts Archimedes just as he launches himself out of the bathtub, with a suitably joyful expression on his face. When Archimedes was first unveiled in 1990, it presented far too much temptation for ridicule from students at the nearby University. If you look carefully, you will notice that Archimedes has had a new nose. To prevent further damage, Archimedes is now protected by a strong metal fence.
Most people have heard of Archimedes and many are familiar with his Eureka moment. The story leading up to that moment is seldom told. King Hiero II was a Greek Sicilian who played an important role in the First Punic War. During that war, Hiero had remained faithful to the Romans. Hiero often called upon the support of his good friend, Archimedes. Archimedes was a Greek mathematician, inventor, and philosopher. He worked on the principles of levers and compound pulleys among others. The catapult was a mechanical device which changed the progress of fighting in wars and is attributed to Archimedes.
King Hiero II had employed a goldsmith to make a votive crown from gold which Hiero supplied. When the crown was delivered, Hiero felt sure that he had been cheated and that the goldsmith had used some silver in the making of the crown. One way to find out for sure was to melt the crown down, but Hiero didn’t want to do this. Hiero appointed Archimedes to find a way to test the crown for silver content, without damaging the crown.
To begin with, Archimedes was struggling to think of any way to achieve the task. One day, whilst climbing into his bathtub, Archimedes noticed how the level of water rose as he sank down into the tub. He suddenly realised that the volume of water displaced would be exactly equal to the volume of his body. He knew that he could use this principle to test the crown by simply placing it in a bathtub and measuring the precise amount of water displaced.
Archimedes was so joyous about his realisation that he immediately jumped out of the bathtub and ran through the streets naked whilst shouting “Eureka”. Of crouse, the word Eureka when translated from Greek to English, means “I have found it”.
That is why I challenge you to Take Five at this difficult to find sculpture. I will accept no responsibility if you are so overjoyed that you run naked through the streets of Manchester, shouting “I found it”.
It’s Grand to Know
Location | Inside a Railway Arch |
Parking | Nearby |
Public Transport | Plentiful trains and buses at the nearby Piccadilly Station
Always check times and frequency of services before travelling |
Nearby Major Roads | A57M A6 |
Nearby Places | Manchester |
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