Uncommonly sunny weather today so thought I’d share some brief snaps I took in and around my beloved hometown of Manchester (and Salford) in north-west England. Starting with the unusual emblem you see above. It’s the Worker Bee.
Since the Industrial Revolution it has become one of the city’s most enduring emblems; created to commemorate the work of Mancunians in building the textile and manufacturing businesses that flourished toward the end of the eighteenth century and gave birth to modern industry. Today the symbol remains part of the council’s coat of arms and can be found in the city centre on everything from buildings to bollards to bins, and even beer; a reminder of when Manchester was the global centre for commerce and innovation.
The shots below warrant less of an explanation. I took them on Market Street; Manchester’s main shopping district (you can check out my tumblr blog for full sized versions of each pic).
This beautifully blue-blasted, worn shop front can be found opposite Blackfriars’ corner, bordering the small inner-city area of the same name. The region is a former ward of Salford next to Manchester’s city centre and has been involved in re-developments of one kind or another for the last half century. With the exception of the 1871-built tavern on Blackfriars Road (hmm, probably should have taken a pic of that) very few of the buildings in this area pre-date the 1960s.
Says it all really…
So what do you love about where you are?
Micah Yongo 