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.](https://www.ucl.ac.uk/bartlett/planning/sites/bartlett_planning/files/styles/large_image/public/boris_bee.png?itok=Oc8GJjmq)
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.