Manchester Bee

About the Bee

Manchester is a major city in northwest England, known for its iconic bee symbol representing the city's industrious nature and worker bee heritage. The city combines its rich industrial past with contemporary culture, featuring vibrant music scene, modern urban development, and historic cotton mills.

Seven bees on a beehive were incorporated into Manchester's coat of arms when the borough received its grant of arms in 1842, a period when the town's cotton mills made "hive of industry" a literal description of its workshops and warehouses. Bee motifs were later worked into the mosaic floors of the Town Hall, designed by Alfred Waterhouse and opened in 1877, and they recur on bollards, bins and civic ironwork across the centre. After the Manchester Arena bombing of 22 May 2017, the bee was adopted widely as an emblem of solidarity, including in tattoo campaigns that raised money for victims, and it featured in the 2018 Bee in the City sculpture trail.