There was a kerfuffle on Twitter at the beginning of the year, regarding a tweet by an American journalist posted on 31st December 2019. The tweet was sardonic comment on an image of a number of Manchester Bee tattoos, pointing out that with one set of wings, the bees...
Having been documenting the Manchester Bee for a number of years now, it’s interesting to notice themes slowly develop. In this post, I’ll be looking at the uses of bee imagery by Manchester bus companies. The first example is the Bee Line Buzz Company,...
Similar to the Oddfellows Beehive, the following is not directly about the Manchester Bee but it’s interesting to look at similar iconography that developed from around the same time period. I’ve not been able to pinpoint exactly when it was adopted as a symbol, but...
Manchester City Council’s coat of arms were granted to the borough of Manchester in 1842. The arms were described thusly: Arms : Gules three Bendlets enhanced Or a Chief Argent thereon on Waves of the Sea a Ship under sail proper. Crest : On a Wreath of the Colours a...
In October 1926, Manchester held its inaugural Civic Week with the aim of stimulating industrial expansion of the city by attracting attention to the city’s manufacturing and distribution facilities. The week’s events began with a transport parade, featuring 350...
Dotted around University of Manchester’s Oxford Road and Sackville Street areas, you’ll see the university’s coat of arms decorating buildings both inside and out. It’s actually of recent origin, dating from 2004, when the Victoria University of Manchester...
