{"id":48,"date":"2019-10-02T07:00:23","date_gmt":"2019-10-02T06:00:23","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/manchesterbe.es\/?p=48"},"modified":"2019-09-24T13:29:37","modified_gmt":"2019-09-24T12:29:37","slug":"manchester-bee-street-furniture","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/manchesterbe.es\/index.php\/2019\/10\/02\/manchester-bee-street-furniture\/","title":{"rendered":"Manchester Bee Street Furniture"},"content":{"rendered":"\n[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ admin_label=”section” _builder_version=”3.22.3″][et_pb_row padding_mobile=”off” column_padding_mobile=”on” parallax_method_1=”off” admin_label=”row” _builder_version=”3.22.3″ 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=”3.0.47″][et_pb_text _builder_version=”3.24.1″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid”]

One of the reasons the Manchester Bee is such a ubiquitous sight around the city centre is its use on street furniture, most notably on bollards and bins but also on other objects as well. Below, I\u2019ll be detailing a number of the its different uses, from the abundant to the unique.<\/p>[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”3.24.1″]

Bollards<\/u><\/p>\n

The Manchester Bee bollards date back all the way to 1976 and were designed by Warren Marshall<\/a>, former Urban Design and Conservation Manager for Manchester City Council. The design is based on the Manchester Town Hall bee mural.<\/p>[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_image src=”http:\/\/manchesterbe.es\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/Bees-bees-bees-027-Copy.jpg” align=”center” _builder_version=”3.24.1″][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text _builder_version=”3.24.1″ custom_padding=”2px|||||”]

You can find these dotted all over the city centre, as well as in further-afield locations such as Levenshulme and Chorlton. Whilst they all look similar, there\u2019s a great variation in designs and colour. Some are minor, such as the different bodies in the first two examples below, to the very different designs in the two below.<\/p>[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”3.24.1″][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ _builder_version=”3.24.1″][et_pb_image src=”http:\/\/manchesterbe.es\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Manchester-Bee-Bee-Bollard-Close-up-Silver.jpg” align=”center” _builder_version=”3.24.1″][\/et_pb_image][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ _builder_version=”3.24.1″][et_pb_image src=”http:\/\/manchesterbe.es\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/Manchester-Bee-Bee-Bollard-Close-up-Gold.jpg” align=”center” _builder_version=”3.24.1″][\/et_pb_image][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”3.24.1″][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ _builder_version=”3.24.1″][et_pb_image src=”http:\/\/manchesterbe.es\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/Manchester-Bee-Bee-Bollard-Close-Up-New-Design.jpg” align=”center” _builder_version=”3.24.1″][\/et_pb_image][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ _builder_version=”3.24.1″][et_pb_image src=”http:\/\/manchesterbe.es\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/Bee-Mosaic-015-copy-Copy.jpg” _builder_version=”3.24.1″][\/et_pb_image][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row padding_mobile=”off” column_padding_mobile=”on” parallax_method_1=”off” admin_label=”row” _builder_version=”3.22.3″ 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=”3.0.47″][et_pb_image show_in_lightbox=”on” align=”center” align_tablet=”center” align_last_edited=”on|desktop” _builder_version=”3.23″ use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid” animation=”off” sticky=”off” always_center_on_mobile=”on”][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text _builder_version=”3.24.1″]

Flower Planters<\/u><\/p>\n

There\u2019s been two different flower planter designs which feature the Manchester Bee, both of which are detailed below. I don\u2019t have any information on the first design, but it looks to be a based on the bollard design. They used to visible across the city centre but the only ones I\u2019ve found recently are located along Sackville Street, though there were a number dotted along Victoria Street, just outside Manchester Cathedral.<\/p>[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_image src=”http:\/\/manchesterbe.es\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/2017-03-15-12.25.09-Copy.jpg” align=”center” align_tablet=”center” align_last_edited=”on|desktop” _builder_version=”3.23″ max_width=”400px” use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid” animation=”off” sticky=”off” always_center_on_mobile=”on”][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_image src=”http:\/\/manchesterbe.es\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/Manchester-Cathedral-027-Copy.jpg” align_tablet=”center” align_last_edited=”on|desktop” _builder_version=”3.23″ use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid” animation=”off” sticky=”off” always_center_on_mobile=”on”][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text _builder_version=”3.24.1″]

The second design were a recent introduction to the city, appearing along New Cathedral Way and on Albert Square outside Manchester Town Hall. Created by\u00a0Hargreaves Foundry<\/a>, the cast iron design can be found in three different sizes.<\/p>[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_image src=”http:\/\/manchesterbe.es\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/Manchester-Bee-004-Copy.jpg” align_tablet=”center” align_last_edited=”on|desktop” _builder_version=”3.23″ use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid” animation=”off” sticky=”off” always_center_on_mobile=”on”][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text _builder_version=”3.24.1″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” border_style=”solid”]

Bins<\/span><\/p>\n

There used to be bins of a similar design to the bollards, but I’ve only come across this one example lately, located on a small area next to the Rochdale Canal, opposite Canal Street.<\/p>[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”3.24.1″][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”3.24.1″][et_pb_image src=”http:\/\/manchesterbe.es\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/Bees-bees-bees-008-Copy.jpg” align=”center” _builder_version=”3.24.1″][\/et_pb_image][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”3.24.1″][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”3.24.1″][et_pb_text _builder_version=”3.24.1″]

In 2014, a new bee bin design appear on the city’s streets. Designed by M-Four Design<\/a> in collaboration with Wybone<\/a>, the bins were part of an initiative to clean up the city centre, funded by the city’s part-ownership of Manchester airport. The high-capacity bins feature an image of one of the Manchester Town Hall mural bees<\/a> appearing on each side. The design has proved popular enough for at least one person to buy their very own for their home<\/a>.<\/p>[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”3.24.1″][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ _builder_version=”3.24.1″][et_pb_image src=”http:\/\/manchesterbe.es\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/Bee-Bin-Copy.jpg” _builder_version=”3.24.1″][\/et_pb_image][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ _builder_version=”3.24.1″][et_pb_image src=”http:\/\/manchesterbe.es\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/Bee-Bin-Close-Up-Copy.jpg” _builder_version=”3.24.1″][\/et_pb_image][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”3.24.1″][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”3.24.1″][et_pb_text _builder_version=”3.24.1″]

Seating<\/u><\/p>\n

I’ve come across a couple of different Manchester Bee seats, both seemingly the last examples of formerly commonplace designs. The first used to be located either side of the Abraham Lincoln statue in Lincoln Square, though last time I checked, they’ve since been removed.<\/p>[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”3.24.1″][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”3.24.1″][et_pb_image src=”http:\/\/manchesterbe.es\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/Free-Manchester-Walk-Tour-025-Copy.jpg” align=”center” _builder_version=”3.24.1″][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_image src=”http:\/\/manchesterbe.es\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/Free-Manchester-Walk-Tour-023-copy-Copy.jpg” align=”center” _builder_version=”3.24.1″][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text _builder_version=”3.24.1″]The other is more subtle and easily missed. Located on the same batch of land as the bee bin above, this seat features a small design at both ends. This is still in place at the time of writing.[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_image src=”http:\/\/manchesterbe.es\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/Canal-Street-Chair-Copy.jpg” align=”center” _builder_version=”3.24.1″][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_image src=”http:\/\/manchesterbe.es\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/Canal-Street-Chair-Detail-Copy.jpg” _builder_version=”3.24.1″][\/et_pb_image][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row padding_mobile=”off” column_padding_mobile=”on” parallax_method_1=”off” _builder_version=”3.22″ 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=”3.0.47″][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=”3.22.3″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”3.0.47″][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 padding_mobile=”off” column_padding_mobile=”on” parallax_method_1=”off” parallax_method_2=”off” parallax_method_3=”off” module_class=” et_pb_row_fullwidth” _builder_version=”3.22.3″ background_color=”#ff8955″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” width=”94%” width_tablet=”80%” width_last_edited=”on|desktop” max_width=”94%” max_width_tablet=”80%” 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=”3.0.47″][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=”3.0.47″][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=”3.0.47″][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]\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A ubiquitous sight around the city centre, bees are featured on a variety of street furniture, a highly visible sign of its importance as a symbol of Manchester.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2457,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":"

A ubiquitous sight around the city centre and I would say one of the main things keeping the bee in the public consciences, the bee bollard was originally designed by Warren Marshall, former Urban Design and Conservation Manager for Manchester City Council almost forty years ago, back in 1976.
(For more information on Mr Marshall and his work for the city, this article is a good starting point: http:\/\/www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk\/news\/local-news\/warren-says-bollards-to-it-969011)<\/p>

To my eye, the design looks to be based on the bee mural in Manchester Town Hall (an article in itself for a later date), but whilst they all might look the same, a closer look reveals at least two different bee designs and a multitude of colour variations being used over the years.<\/p>

Here\u2019s what I believe is the first design, judging by the state of the bollards, which appears coloured gold, silver and black.<\/p>

\"Day<\/a> \"Day<\/a><\/p>

\"Silver<\/a><\/p>

And here\u2019s number two, which is featured on newer bollards. Note the simplified design, particularly the lack of eyes. So far, I\u2019ve only found it coloured gold.<\/p>

\"Gold<\/a><\/p>

But how many are there? And how far are they spread across Manchester? Have they even spread further-afield? A quick google search reveals a wealth of retailers online, so that strikes me as a possibility. A little while ago, I started photographing the bee bollards \u2013 you can see my progress so far by having a look at the Manchester Bee Map \u2013 but clearly I\u2019ve only scratched the surface. If you\u2019d like to help, get in touch via the contact page with your photographs along with their exact location and I\u2019ll add them to the map.<\/p>","_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":"Manchester Bee Street Furniture - Highlighting the variety of ways Manchester Bees are displayed across the city centre. #DailyMCRBee","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[4],"tags":[31,32,33,18,20,17,123,35,34],"class_list":["post-48","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-exploration","tag-bins","tag-bollards","tag-m-four-design","tag-manchester","tag-manchester-bees","tag-manchester-town-hall","tag-street-furniture","tag-warren-marshall","tag-wybone"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/manchesterbe.es\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/Combined-Image.jpg?fit=2045%2C1360&ssl=1","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7nduD-M","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/manchesterbe.es\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/manchesterbe.es\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/manchesterbe.es\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/manchesterbe.es\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/manchesterbe.es\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=48"}],"version-history":[{"count":43,"href":"https:\/\/manchesterbe.es\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2458,"href":"https:\/\/manchesterbe.es\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48\/revisions\/2458"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/manchesterbe.es\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2457"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/manchesterbe.es\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=48"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/manchesterbe.es\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=48"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/manchesterbe.es\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=48"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}