Paris and Harpurhey don’t not normally figure in the same sentence.

One is the home of famous writers, cultural landmarks and great places to eat and shop, the other is the capital of France.

But the two could soon be united after the north Manchester district unveiled a Gallic-flavoured tourist attraction - the H'Eiffel Tower.

The tower – a converted chimney on top of the Harpurhey Baths – has been illuminated with blue lights.

Councillors have now invited the mayor of Paris to an official opening. They have also proposed a friendship agreement between Paris and Harpurhey which would see the two
officially twinned together.

But the link may not be obvious to the casual observer. While Paris (population 2.1million) is one of Europe’s biggest and richest cities, Harpurhey (population 8,834) was recently named the most deprived neighbourhood in Britain.

And though Paris may be renowned for designer fashion houses like Coco Chanel and Christian Dior, Harpurhey has much more sensibly-priced clothes in Ethel Austin and George at Asda. The Harpurhey tower, which was built in 1910, dominates the new building of Manchester College after a £9m transformation of the Edwardian bathhouse.

Harpurhey councillor Pat Karney said: “I think Parisians would recognise themselves in Harpurhey people. Like them, we are proud of our area and aspirational about our place in the world. We are also very romantic – in the summer, Rochdale Road is like the Champs Elysees.”

Fellow councillor Joanne Green said: “We have created a piece of Paris in Harpurhey.”