The bronze statue on a marble pedestal shows Mason standing, his right foot out, with his arms folded. He is wearing a buttoned long coat. It is placed on two stone steps. Hugh Mason (1817–1886), textile manufacturer and Liberal politician was instrumental in the firm's decision to build two mills (in 1845 and 1851) and a workers' colony at Oxford, next to the Manchester-Ashton canal. By 1860 Mason had sole control of the firm. He extended a paternalistic hand to his workforce and was said not to employ any man who had been unfaithful to his wife. In 1860 a library and reading room were built at the Oxford colony and extended in 1870 to include a recreation ground. Mason was also deeply involved in the business affairs of Manchester, being president of the Chamber of Commerce between 1871 and 1874, as well as being a staunch Methodist.