[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ admin_label=”section” _builder_version=”3.22″][et_pb_row padding_mobile=”off” column_padding_mobile=”on” admin_label=”row” _builder_version=”3.25″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” make_fullwidth=”off” use_custom_width=”off” width_unit=”on”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”3.25″ custom_padding=”|||” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.0.7″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” hover_enabled=”0″ border_style=”solid”]<\/p>\n
Home to its most ubiquitous and iconic design, Manchester Town Hall<\/a> and the Manchester Bee are inseparably linked. Designed by Alfred Waterhouse and built between 1868 to 1877, the Hall features the bee both outside and inside the building. Standing outside the main entrance on Albert Square, look up past the statues and you\u2019ll see a large version of Manchester City Council\u2019s coat of arms, with the date 1873 incorporated into it\u2019s design. Five bees can be seen hovering over the globe, as opposed to the seven that appear on the normal coat of arms. A similar coat of arms can be found\u00a0above the Cooper Street entrance to the Hall, with the date listed as 1874.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”3.25″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” column_structure=”1_2,1_2″][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ _builder_version=”3.25″ custom_padding=”|||” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_image src=”http:\/\/manchesterbe.es\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Manchester-Town-Hall-Manchester-Coat-of-Arms.jpg” show_in_lightbox=”on” align=”center” force_fullwidth=”on” align_tablet=”center” align_last_edited=”on|desktop” _builder_version=”3.23″ animation_style=”slide” animation_direction=”left” animation_duration=”500ms” animation_intensity_slide=”10%” border_style=”solid” sticky=”off” always_center_on_mobile=”on”][\/et_pb_image][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ _builder_version=”3.25″ custom_padding=”|||” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_image src=”http:\/\/manchesterbe.es\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/1874.jpg” align=”center” align_tablet=”center” align_last_edited=”on|desktop” _builder_version=”3.23″ max_width=”400px” animation_style=”slide” animation_direction=”left” animation_duration=”500ms” animation_intensity_slide=”10%” border_style=”solid” sticky=”off” always_center_on_mobile=”on”][\/et_pb_image][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”3.25″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”3.25″ custom_padding=”|||” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”3.27.4″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” border_style=”solid”]You can find more information on the coat of arms and it\u2019s bees here<\/a>, so lets head inside and up to the first floor, where outside the Great Hall (Home of Ford Madox Brown\u2019s The Manchester Murals), you\u2019ll find the mosaicked floor area known as The Bees<\/a>. Inside the Great Hall, look up and you\u2019ll see the coat of arms of countries and cities that were the principal trading partners with Manchester during the Industrial Revolution. Around each one you\u2019ll notice bees flying around them. Home to its most ubiquitous and iconic design, Manchester Town Hall and the Manchester Bee are inseparably linked.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":275,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":"[et_pb_section admin_label=\"section\"][et_pb_row admin_label=\"row\" make_fullwidth=\"off\" use_custom_width=\"off\" width_unit=\"on\" use_custom_gutter=\"off\" gutter_width=\"3\" padding_mobile=\"off\" allow_player_pause=\"off\" parallax=\"off\" parallax_method=\"off\" make_equal=\"off\" parallax_1=\"off\" parallax_method_1=\"off\" column_padding_mobile=\"on\"][et_pb_column type=\"4_4\"][et_pb_text admin_label=\"Text\" background_layout=\"light\" text_orientation=\"left\" text_font_size=\"14\" use_border_color=\"off\" border_color=\"#ffffff\" border_style=\"solid\"]\r\n\r\nLet us begin our exploration of Manchester and the bee with the home of its most ubiquitous design. \r\n\r\nDesigned by Alfred Woodhouse and built between 1868 to 1877, Manchester Town Hall features the bee on both the outside and inside building.\r\n\r\nStanding outside the main entrance on Albert Square, look up and you\u2019ll see a large version of Manchester City Council\u2019s coat of arms, with the date 1873 incorporated into it\u2019s design. Five bees can be seen hovering over the globe, as opposed to the 7 that appear on the normal coat of arms.\r\n\r\n[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_image admin_label=\"Image\" src=\"http:\/\/manchesterbe.es\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/Example-Image.jpg\" show_in_lightbox=\"off\" url_new_window=\"off\" animation=\"left\" sticky=\"off\" align=\"left\" force_fullwidth=\"off\" always_center_on_mobile=\"on\" use_border_color=\"off\" border_color=\"#ffffff\" border_style=\"solid\"]\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n[\/et_pb_image][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row admin_label=\"row\" make_fullwidth=\"off\" use_custom_width=\"off\" width_unit=\"on\" use_custom_gutter=\"off\" gutter_width=\"3\" padding_mobile=\"off\" allow_player_pause=\"off\" parallax=\"off\" parallax_method=\"off\" make_equal=\"off\" parallax_1=\"off\" parallax_method_1=\"off\" column_padding_mobile=\"on\"][et_pb_column type=\"4_4\"][et_pb_text admin_label=\"Text\" background_layout=\"light\" text_orientation=\"left\" text_font_size=\"14\" use_border_color=\"off\" border_color=\"#ffffff\" border_style=\"solid\"]\r\n\r\nI\u2019ll be writing more about the coat of arms and it\u2019s bees in the future, so for now lets head inside and up to the first floor, where outside the Main Council chamber (Home of Ford Madox Brown\u2019s The Manchester Murals), you\u2019ll find the mosaicked floor known as The Bees.\r\n\r\n[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_image admin_label=\"Image\" src=\"http:\/\/manchesterbe.es\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/Example-Image.jpg\" show_in_lightbox=\"off\" url_new_window=\"off\" animation=\"left\" sticky=\"off\" align=\"left\" force_fullwidth=\"off\" always_center_on_mobile=\"on\" use_border_color=\"off\" border_color=\"#ffffff\" border_style=\"solid\"]\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n[\/et_pb_image][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row admin_label=\"Row\"][et_pb_column type=\"4_4\"][et_pb_text admin_label=\"Text\" background_layout=\"light\" text_orientation=\"left\" text_font_size=\"14\" use_border_color=\"off\" border_color=\"#ffffff\" border_style=\"solid\"]\r\n\r\nOriginally laid out by Venetian craftsmen, the 4,500 yards of marble features a number of bees along its length. These designs are the inspiration for a lot of the subsequent bee designs that have appeared over the years (for example, see above), which I\u2019ll be highlighting in future blog posts. \r\n\r\nElsewhere in the main building, the coat of arms can be found adorning various surfaces. Also, one of the Reception Room features the bee on the backcloth of a recess, though I can\u2019t currently locate a photograph of it.\r\n\r\nIf you\u2019d like a look around, tours are available of the Town Hall taking place Saturday mornings and Tuesday mornings at 11am, though can be subject to cancellation at short notice.\r\n\r\nSources:\r\nhttps:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Manchester_Town_Hall<\/a>\r\nhttp:\/\/www.manchester.gov.uk\/info\/500211\/town_hall_complex\/1986\/a_history_of_manchester_town_hall<\/a>\r\nhttp:\/\/www.newmanchesterwalks.com\/walks-tours\/town-hall-and-the-main-buildings\/manchester-town-hall-tour\/<\/a>\r\n\r\n[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]","_et_gb_content_width":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":true,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"activitypub_content_warning":"","activitypub_content_visibility":"","activitypub_max_image_attachments":4,"activitypub_interaction_policy_quote":"anyone","activitypub_status":"","footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[4],"tags":[24,19,18,20,23,17,22,21],"class_list":["post-274","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-exploration","tag-albert-square","tag-bee","tag-manchester","tag-manchester-bees","tag-manchester-coat-of-arms","tag-manchester-town-hall","tag-marble","tag-the-bees"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/manchesterbe.es\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/Manchester-Town-Hall-Bee-Mosaic-Floor-e1453417439439.jpg?fit=3240%2C1992","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7nduD-4q","jetpack_sharing_enabled":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/manchesterbe.es\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/274","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/manchesterbe.es\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/manchesterbe.es\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/manchesterbe.es\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/manchesterbe.es\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=274"}],"version-history":[{"count":41,"href":"http:\/\/manchesterbe.es\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/274\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2596,"href":"http:\/\/manchesterbe.es\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/274\/revisions\/2596"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/manchesterbe.es\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/275"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/manchesterbe.es\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=274"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/manchesterbe.es\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=274"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/manchesterbe.es\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=274"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\n[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row padding_mobile=”off” column_padding_mobile=”on” admin_label=”row” _builder_version=”3.25″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” make_fullwidth=”off” use_custom_width=”off” width_unit=”on” column_structure=”1_2,1_2″][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ _builder_version=”3.25″ custom_padding=”|||” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_image src=”http:\/\/manchesterbe.es\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Manchester-Town-Hall-Bee-Mosaic-Floor.jpg” show_in_lightbox=”on” align_tablet=”center” align_last_edited=”on|desktop” _builder_version=”3.23″ use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid” sticky=”off” always_center_on_mobile=”on”][\/et_pb_image][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ _builder_version=”3.25″ custom_padding=”|||” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_image src=”http:\/\/manchesterbe.es\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Manchester-Town-Hall-The-Bees-Mosaic-Floor.jpg” show_in_lightbox=”on” align_tablet=”center” align_last_edited=”on|desktop” _builder_version=”3.23″ use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid” sticky=”off” always_center_on_mobile=”on”][\/et_pb_image][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”3.25″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”3.25″ custom_padding=”|||” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”3.27.4″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” border_style=”solid”]Originally laid out by Venetian craftsmen, the 4,500 yards of beautiful marble flooring in the building primarily feature cotton flowers along its length. But here, 67 bees are laid out in an overhead design. These mosaics are the inspiration for a lot of the subsequent bee designs that have appeared over the years, which I\u2019ll be highlighting in future blog posts.<\/p>\n
\n[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_image src=”http:\/\/manchesterbe.es\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/Manchester-Coat-of-Arms-on-ceiling-of-Great-Hall-Copy.jpg” align=”center” align_tablet=”center” align_last_edited=”on|desktop” _builder_version=”3.23″ animation_style=”slide” animation_direction=”left” animation_duration=”500ms” animation_intensity_slide=”10%” border_style=”solid” sticky=”off” always_center_on_mobile=”on”][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text _builder_version=”3.27.4″ border_style=”solid”]Bees also adorn the mantelpiece above the fireplace in the Reception Room. Unfortunately, they\u2019re somewhat obscured by glass paneling.
\n[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_image src=”http:\/\/manchesterbe.es\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/Town-Hall-071-Copy.jpg” show_in_lightbox=”on” align=”center” align_tablet=”center” align_last_edited=”on|desktop” _builder_version=”3.23″ animation_style=”slide” animation_direction=”left” animation_duration=”500ms” animation_intensity_slide=”10%” border_style=”solid” sticky=”off” always_center_on_mobile=”on”][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text _builder_version=”3.27.4″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid”]Manchester\u2019s coat of arms and its bees can be found adorning many and various surfaces inside the building, such as stained glass windows and wall adornments with the largest located in the main council chamber.
\n[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”3.25″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” column_structure=”1_2,1_2″][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ _builder_version=”3.25″ custom_padding=”|||” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_image src=”http:\/\/manchesterbe.es\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Manchester-Town-Hall-Stained-Glass-Coat-of-Arms-1.jpg” show_in_lightbox=”on” align_tablet=”center” align_last_edited=”on|desktop” _builder_version=”3.23″ use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid” sticky=”off” always_center_on_mobile=”on”][\/et_pb_image][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ _builder_version=”3.25″ custom_padding=”|||” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_image src=”http:\/\/manchesterbe.es\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Manchester-Town-Hall-Chair-Coat-of-Arms-1.jpg” show_in_lightbox=”on” align_tablet=”center” align_last_edited=”on|desktop” _builder_version=”3.23″ use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid” sticky=”off” always_center_on_mobile=”on”][\/et_pb_image][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”3.25″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”3.25″ custom_padding=”|||” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”3.27.4″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” border_style=”solid”]If you’d like to see the bees for yourself, I’m afraid it isn’t possible for the next few years. The Town Hall closed in January 2018 until 2024 for extensive\u00a0refurbishment.
\n[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row padding_mobile=”off” column_padding_mobile=”on” _builder_version=”3.25″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” make_fullwidth=”off” use_custom_width=”off” width_unit=”on” global_module=”404″][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”3.25″ custom_padding=”|||” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_post_nav in_same_term=”off” prev_text=”previous post” next_text=”next post” _builder_version=”3.0.87″ use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid” hide_prev=”off” hide_next=”off”][\/et_pb_post_nav][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”3.25″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” locked=”on”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”3.25″ custom_padding=”|||” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_comments show_count=”off” _builder_version=”3.16″ use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid” button_letter_spacing_hover=”0″ button_text_size__hover_enabled=”off” button_one_text_size__hover_enabled=”off” button_two_text_size__hover_enabled=”off” button_text_color__hover_enabled=”off” button_one_text_color__hover_enabled=”off” button_two_text_color__hover_enabled=”off” button_border_width__hover_enabled=”off” button_one_border_width__hover_enabled=”off” button_two_border_width__hover_enabled=”off” button_border_color__hover_enabled=”off” button_one_border_color__hover_enabled=”off” button_two_border_color__hover_enabled=”off” button_border_radius__hover_enabled=”off” button_one_border_radius__hover_enabled=”off” button_two_border_radius__hover_enabled=”off” button_letter_spacing__hover_enabled=”on” button_letter_spacing__hover=”0″ button_one_letter_spacing__hover_enabled=”off” button_two_letter_spacing__hover_enabled=”off” button_bg_color__hover_enabled=”off” button_one_bg_color__hover_enabled=”off” button_two_bg_color__hover_enabled=”off”][\/et_pb_comments][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ custom_padding_last_edited=”on|desktop” admin_label=”Post foot bar” _builder_version=”3.22″ background_color=”#ff8955″ custom_padding=”||0px|” custom_padding_tablet=”50px|0|50px|0″ transparent_background=”off” padding_mobile=”off” make_fullwidth=”off” use_custom_width=”off” width_unit=”on” global_module=”590″ locked=”off” collapsed=”on”][et_pb_row column_structure=”1_3,1_3,1_3″ padding_mobile=”off” column_padding_mobile=”on” module_class=” et_pb_row_fullwidth” _builder_version=”3.25″ background_color=”#ff8955″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” width=”94%” width_tablet=”80%” width_phone=”” width_last_edited=”on|desktop” max_width=”94%” max_width_tablet=”80%” max_width_phone=”” max_width_last_edited=”on|desktop” make_fullwidth=”on” use_custom_width=”off” width_unit=”on” custom_width_px=”2139px”][et_pb_column type=”1_3″ _builder_version=”3.25″ custom_padding=”|||” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_sidebar area=”et_pb_widget_area_1″ _builder_version=”3.0.74″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” background_layout=”dark” remove_border=”off”][\/et_pb_sidebar][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_3″ _builder_version=”3.25″ custom_padding=”|||” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_sidebar area=”et_pb_widget_area_3″ _builder_version=”3.0.74″ background_layout=”dark” remove_border=”off”][\/et_pb_sidebar][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_3″ _builder_version=”3.25″ custom_padding=”|||” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_sidebar area=”et_pb_widget_area_4″ show_border=”off” _builder_version=”3.0.74″ background_layout=”dark” remove_border=”on”][\/et_pb_sidebar][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"