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Who invented the Manchester Bee?
10 February 2023
Leah Aaron, a PhD student in the School of Planning, explores the origins of Manchester's, now iconic, symbol, the bee in The Mill.
Boris Johnson holds up his Manchester Bee painting during an art class in October 2021. Photo by Stefan Rousseau-WPA Pool/Getty Images.
Leah Aaron grew up in Manchester and is currently doing a PhD with us at the Bartlett School of Planning. From the city's old coat of arms to the Manchester bombings; Leah follows the bee's history in an article contributed to The Mill.
“Everything accelerated after the Manchester Arena attack in 2017. Within hours of the bombing, the Bee appeared as a rallying symbol for me and so many other Mancunians.