City's away kit is available to pre-order today and whilst aesthetically beautiful, it begs the question 'why have we gone for the black and gold colour scheme?'.This puzzled ManTwitty so we researched a little and it turns out that the black & gold theme represents the anthophila insect, commonly known as the 'bee'.
You may be surprised to learn that the bee has been synonymous with Manchester since 1842. Next time you're out and about in the city centre observe your surroundings more closely and you'll be sure too see those busy little bees.
They are displayed within and around Manchester's town hall, above the doors of traditional buildings, on roadside posts, on the funnel of HMS Manchester and adorned by the logo and 'cream of Manchester' Boddingtons Beer, to name but a few.
This all stems for Manchester's coat of arms. The bee respresents the city as a hive of activity during the industrial revolution. Click here to see the detail.
Manchester's coat of arms was granted to the city in 1842 and is a classic heraldic design, showing a shield of red and gold, bearing the image of a ship, supported by an antelope and a lion and crowned by a globe covered in bees.
The red shield with gold stripes is taken from the lords of Manchester, who ruled the city prior to 1301.
The ship in full sail is a reference to the city's growing trade and enterprise.
Either side of the shield are an antelope and a lion, derived from the arms of King Henry IV, which can be seen from the red Lancaster rose on their shoulders.
The lion is a symbol of bravery and strength, while the antelope (referring to a mythical beast, not an actual antelope) means peace and harmony, extreme courage and discipline.
At the foot is the city's motto, Concilio Et Labore, which means 'by counsel and work', a phrase derived from the Biblical book of Ecclesiasticus.
At the top of the coat of arms is probably the most famous part, a globe covered with bees, a symbol of industriousness.
To summerise, the coat of arms proclaims Manchester as a city of global trade and industry, built on extreme courage, bravery, strength and discipline and filled with peace and harmony.
Makes you proud.
ManTwitty.
2 comments:
wow man, didn't know City were so connected with nature. The bee man, life without 'em would be so different. Think about it dudes. Fewer flower species, no honey. Jeeeez we need dem bees. Peace. Free the weed.
message to the 'Dude' : get a job young man, your revolution is over!
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