Maharajah is an Asian elephant with a fascinating story. He has inspired artwork and novels.
The owners of Belle Vue Zoological Gardens bought Maharajah in 1872 from a travelling circus in Edinburgh. But Maharajah could not be persuaded to take the train, so keeper Lorenzo Lawrence walked with Maharajah on the 200 mile journey, which took 10 days. He went from India, to Edinburgh, to Belle Vue, to Manchester Museum - and the most recent stop on Maharajah’s journey was Piccadilly train station in 2019.
Manchester Museum has a long history of working in partnership with communities. Recently, there have been shabtis in schools, a peacock in a restaurant… and this elephant in Piccadilly railway station!