View source for Manchester Central Library

{{Short description|Listed building in Manchester, England}}
{{For|the library in Manchester, New Hampshire|Manchester City Library}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2025}}
{{Use British English|date=March 2025}}
{{Infobox Historic building
|name                    = Manchester Central Library
|image                   = At Manchester 2018 073.jpg
|caption                 = Manchester Central Library viewed from [[St Peter's Square, Manchester|St Peter's Square]]
|mapframe                = no
|map_type                = 
|coordinates             = {{coord|53.4781|-2.2447|display=inline,title}}
|location_town           = [[Manchester]]
|location_country        = United Kingdom
|architect               = [[E. Vincent Harris]]
|client                  = [[Manchester City Council|Manchester Corporation]]
|engineer                = 
|construction_start_date = 1930
|completion_date         = 17 July 1934
|renovation_date         = 2010–2014
|date_demolished         = 
|cost                    = 
|structural_system       = 
|style                   = Neoclassical [[Rotunda (architecture)|rotunda]], [[Tuscan order|Tuscan]] [[colonnade]] in Portland stone, low pitched leaded roof and a two-storey, five-bay [[Corinthian order|Corinthian]] [[portico]] entrance.
|size                    = 
| nrhp        = 
  {{Designation list
  | embed                = yes
  | designation1         = Grade II* Listed Building
  | designation1_offname = Central Public Library
  | designation1_date    = 3 October 1974
  | designation1_number  = {{NHLE|num=1270759|short=y|postscript=none}}
  }}
}}

'''Manchester Central Library''' is the headquarters of the [[Manchester Library & Information Service|city's library and information service]] in [[Manchester]], England. Facing [[St Peter's Square, Manchester|St Peter's Square]], it was designed by [[E. Vincent Harris]] and constructed between 1930 and 1934. The form of the building, a columned portico attached to a [[rotunda (architecture)|rotunda]] domed structure, is loosely derived from the [[Pantheon, Rome]]. At its opening, one critic wrote, "This is the sort of thing which persuades one to believe in the perennial applicability of the Classical canon".<ref>{{cite book|first=Julian|last=Holder|year=2007|chapter=Emanuel Vincent Harris and the survival of classicism in inter-war Manchester|editor1-first=Clare|editor1-last=Hartwell|editor2-first=Terry|editor2-last=Wyke|title=Making Manchester|publisher=Lancashire & Cheshire Antiquarian Society|isbn=978-0-900942-01-3}}</ref>
 
The library building is [[grade II* listed]].<ref>{{NHLE |num=1270759 |desc=Central Public Library |access-date= 7 November 2012}}</ref> A four-year project to renovate and refurbish the library commenced in 2010.<ref>{{Cite news |title=New chapter: £170m revamp of Manchester's Central Library takes shape |url=http://menmedia.co.uk/manchestereveningnews/news/s/1459693_new-chapter-170m-revamp-of-manchesters-central-library-takes-shape |newspaper=Manchester Evening News |date=24 September 2011 |access-date=8 November 2011|last=Linton|first=Deborah|publisher=M.E.N. Media}}</ref> Central Library re-opened on 22 March 2014.

==History==
===Background===
Manchester was the first local authority to provide a public lending and reference library after the passing of the [[Public Libraries Act 1850]]. The [[Manchester Free Library]] opened at Campfield in September 1852 at a ceremony attended by [[Charles Dickens]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.manchester.gov.uk/info/500138/central_library/4586/history_of_central_library |title=Before Central Library: Campfield |website=Manchester City Council |access-date=20 November 2014}}</ref>
When the Campfield premises were declared to be unsafe in 1877, the library was moved to the old Town Hall in [[King Street, Manchester|King Street]]. The library moved again to what is now [[Piccadilly Gardens]], to the former outpatients wing of [[Manchester Royal Infirmary#New Infirmary|Manchester Royal Infirmary]] and an old [[YMCA]] hut in 1912.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.manchester.gov.uk/info/500138/central_library/4586/history_of_central_library/2 |title=Before Central Library: King Street and Piccadilly|website=Manchester City Council|access-date=20 November 2014}}</ref>

In 1926 the city council held a competition to design an extension to the town hall and a central library. [[E. Vincent Harris]] was selected to design both buildings. His circular design for the library, reminiscent of the [[Pantheon, Rome|Pantheon]] in Rome, was based on libraries in America. The library's foundation stone was laid on 6 May 1930 by the Prime Minister [[Ramsay MacDonald]].<ref name ="DandB" >{{cite web |url=http://www.manchester.gov.uk/info/500138/central_library/4586/history_of_central_library/3 |title=Designing and Building the Central Library|publisher=Manchester City Council|access-date=20 November 2014}}</ref> The Manchester City Architect [[G. Noel Hill]] was involved with the scheme.<ref name="manchestervictorianarchitects">{{cite web |url=https://manchestervictorianarchitects.org.uk/architects/george-noel-hill |title=George Noel Hill |work=A Biographical Dictionary of the Architects of Greater Manchester, 1800–1940 |first=Neil |last=Darlington |publisher=The Victorian Society |year=2024 |access-date=30 December 2024}}</ref> The library was officially opened by King [[George V]] on 17 July 1934 after he had laid the foundation stone for the [[Manchester Town Hall Extension|Town Hall Extension]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.manchester.gov.uk/info/500138/central_library/4586/history_of_central_library/4 |title=The Opening of Central Library|website=Manchester City Council|access-date=20 November 2014}}</ref>
[[File:Manchester Central Library 2.jpg|thumb|Manchester Central Library at night]]
In 1934 the Blind Collection from Deansgate and the Commercial Library from the [[Royal Exchange, Manchester|Royal Exchange]] were moved to the library. The Chinese Library Service was set up in 1968.

===Opening===
The Central Library opened in 1934 to much fanfare. Singer-songwriter [[Ewan MacColl]] reminisced on the opening: "The new Central Library which replaced the chicken house was an imposing circular structure with an enormous reading room, a small theatre and carrels where serious students could carry on their research without interruption. The portico of the magnificent edifice quickly became a popular rendezvous and "Meet you at the Ref" became a familiar phrase on the lips of students, lovers and unemployed youths. I was there on the opening day and on many days thereafter; the Ref played an important part in my life for I made many friends there."<ref>{{Cite web|title=History of Central Library|url=http://www.manchester.gov.uk/info/500138/central_library/1212/history_of_central_library/6|website=Manchester City Council|at=Famous Names|access-date=10 November 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120404203009/http://www.manchester.gov.uk/info/500138/central_library/1212/history_of_central_library/6|archive-date=4 April 2012|url-status=dead}}</ref>

The library was declared open by King George V on 17 July 1934.<ref name="opening">{{Cite web |title=History of Central Library |url=http://www.manchester.gov.uk/info/500138/central_library/4586/history_of_central_library/4 |website=Manchester City Council |access-date=10 November 2011|at=The Opening of Central Library}}</ref> George V declared to the crowd: "In the splendid building which I am about to open, the largest library in this country provided by a local authority, the Corporation have ensured for the inhabitants of the city magnificent opportunities for further education and for the pleasant use of leisure."<ref name="opening"/>

An employee at the library who was present on opening day said: "When it was being built the public were very intrigued about its final appearance – they were used to rectangular buildings and the shape of the girders used seemed to make little sense. I remember families coming in first to "gawp"...&nbsp;Under the portico became a favourite trysting place. In all, the shape of the building was its best advertisement and it was never necessary to put a notice 'Public Library' on the outside."<ref>{{Cite web |title=History of Central Library |url=http://www.manchester.gov.uk/info/500138/central_library/4586/history_of_central_library/3|website=Manchester City Council|at=Designing and Building the Central Library}}</ref>

===Renovation===
Reports emerged in 2008 that the Central Library needed essential renovation to repair and modernise its facilities.<ref name="problems">{{Cite news |title=£150m to save Central Library |url=http://menmedia.co.uk/manchestereveningnews/news/s/1056149_150m_to_save_central_library |newspaper=Manchester Evening News |date=1 July 2008 |access-date=10 November 2011|last=Ottewell|first=David|publisher=M.E.N. Media}}</ref> The library faced [[asbestos]] problems and needed work to maintain its 'structural integrity'.<ref name="problems"/> The Central Library closed from 2010 to 2014 for refurbishment and expansion. During the closure its collections were stored in the [[Winsford Rock Salt Mine]]; some of the books in the stack joined collections at [[Greater Manchester County Record Office]]. A number of its services were available at a temporary location nearby.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.manchester.gov.uk/info/500138/central_library/4580/central_library_temporary_closure/2|title=Central Library Temporary Closure|website=Manchester City Council|at=A new temporary library|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110925061441/http://www.manchester.gov.uk/info/500138/central_library/4580/central_library_temporary_closure/2|archive-date=25 September 2011}}</ref> During renovation, a temporary community library for the city centre was established on [[Deansgate]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.manchester.gov.uk/info/500138/central_library/4580/central_library_temporary_closure|title=Central Library Temporary Closure|website=Manchester City Council|access-date=30 April 2010|at=Important information about Central Library|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100515210309/http://www.manchester.gov.uk/info/500138/central_library/4580/central_library_temporary_closure|archive-date=15 May 2010}}</ref> Central Library re-opened on 22 March 2014 after a £40&nbsp;million re-design.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Ryder unveils Manchester Central Library revamp |last=Ravenscroft |first=Tom |url=http://www.architectsjournal.co.uk/news/first-look/ryder-unveils-manchester-central-library-revamp/8660574.article |website=Architects' Journal |date=25 March 2014 |access-date=29 March 2014}}</ref> The project delivered by [[Laing O'Rourke]] won the ''[[Construction News]]'' Judges Supreme Award in June 2015. It was described as an almost impossibly complex project completed on schedule and within budget.<ref>{{cite web|title=Judges Supreme Award: Winner|url=https://www.constructionnews.co.uk/archive/judges-supreme-award-winner-30-06-2015/|access-date=1 July 2015|website=Construction News|date=30 June 2015}}</ref>

The indoor plan is now very different. What was the theatre in the basement is now part of the library. A wall was knocked through, making an indoor connection between the library and [[Manchester Town Hall]]. The Library Theatre Company moved to their new theatre at the [[HOME (Manchester)|HOME]] complex in May 2015.

==Architecture==
[[File:Centrallibraryreadingroom.jpg|thumb|The central Wolfson Reading Room in 2021]]
[[File:Manchester Central Library 2014 re-opening 7891.JPG|thumb|180px|The Shakespeare Hall entrance in 2014]]
[[File:Manchester Central Library England.jpg|thumb|left|The exterior of the library]]
[[File:Manchester Central Library Ceiling - panoramio.jpg|thumb|left|The ceiling in the entrance]]
Designed by architect Vincent Harris, the striking rotunda form of the library was inspired by the Pantheon in Rome. Like its 2nd-century model, the library is a round building fronted by a large two-storey [[portico]] which forms the main entrance on [[St Peter's Square, Manchester|St Peter's Square]], and is surrounded by five bays of [[Corinthian columns]]. Around the second and third floors is a [[Tuscan order|Tuscan]] [[colonnade]], topped by a band of unrelieved [[Portland stone]].

The pitched leaded roof appears from street level to be a dome, but this is only a surrounding roof. The dome that can be seen from within the Great Hall lies within this roof, and cannot be seen from the ground.<ref name="mcc_website">{{cite web |url=http://www.manchester.gov.uk/site/scripts/documents_info.php?categoryID=500138&documentID=1212&pageNumber=5 |title=History of Central Library |access-date=7 March 2008 |website=Manchester City Council |at=Features of the Building |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120307224927/http://www.manchester.gov.uk/site/scripts/documents_info.php?categoryID=500138&documentID=1212&pageNumber=5 |archive-date=7 March 2012 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

On the first floor is the Great Hall, a large reading room topped by a dome. Much of the original furniture designed by the architect can be seen on this floor. Around the rim of the dome is an inscription from the [[Book of Proverbs]] in the [[Old Testament]]:<ref name="mcc_website"/>

{{Cquote|<small>Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom, and with all thy getting get understanding. Exalt her and she shall promote thee; she shall bring thee to honour when thou dost embrace her, she shall give of thine head an ornament of grace, a crown of glory she shall deliver to thee.<br /> Proverbs 4:7</small> ||}}

In former years, the dome's [[acoustics]] caused an [[echo]] problem, which repeated several times any short noise made in the room. Adding sound-absorbing material reduced this effect.{{fact|date=January 2025}}

The Shakespeare Hall is an ornate chamber displaying local heraldry and with large [[stained glass]] windows. The central window was designed by [[Robert Anning Bell]] and depicts [[William Shakespeare]] and scenes from his plays. Two side windows designed by [[George Kruger Gray]] depict the [[coats of arms]] of the City of Manchester, the [[Victoria University of Manchester|University of Manchester]], and the [[Duchy of Lancaster|County and Duchy of Lancaster]]. The windows were a memorial bequest to the library by Rosa E. Grindon (1848–1923), the widow of Manchester botanist [[Leo Grindon]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://authorities.loc.gov/cgi-bin/Pwebrecon.cgi?AuthRecID=7999274&v1=1&HC=1&SEQ=20100430095424&PID=c96ZLrRs1-FBO-Nv1Z87_HsNPf|title=Grindon, Rosa E. |publisher=Library of Congress|access-date=30 April 2010}}</ref><ref>She was the author of ''Shakespeare & his plays from a woman's point of view'', published in 1930.</ref>

The ceiling decorations include the arms and crests of the Duchy of Lancaster, the [[See of York]], the [[Anglican Diocese of Manchester|See of Manchester]], the City of Manchester, and [[Lancashire County Council]]. The walls of Shakespeare Hall are covered with [[Hopton Wood stone]] quarried in [[Derbyshire]]. On the walls are the arms of The [[Manchester Grammar School]], Manchester University, the [[Manchester Regiment]], [[Humphrey Chetham]], the Overseers of the Township, England, St. George, St. Mary (patron saint of Manchester), and over the memorial window, Shakespeare.{{fact|date=January 2025}}

On the left landing is a white [[marble]] statue, ''the Reading Girl'' by the Italian sculptor Giovanni Ciniselli. It was bought by the industrialist and promoter of the [[Manchester Ship Canal]], [[Daniel Adamson]]. The statue was presented to the library by his grandchildren, the Parkyn family, in 1938.<ref name="mcc_website"/>

==Collections==
[[File:Manchester Central Library 2014 re-opening Lending Library 7944c.JPG|thumb|right|The new Lending Library in 2014]]
It is the second largest public lending library in Britain, after the [[Library of Birmingham]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Manchester Central Library reopens after £50m revamp |last=Pidd |first=Helen |url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2014/mar/21/manchester-central-library-reopens-50m-pound-revamp |newspaper=The Guardian |date=21 March 2014 |access-date=29 March 2014}}</ref>

Beneath the Great Hall were four floors of steel book stacks providing {{convert|35|miles}} of shelving which accommodated one million books:<ref name="stacks">{{Cite web |title=Take a trip through our stacks |url=http://www.manchester.gov.uk/info/500138/central_library/4593/manchester_central_library |access-date=10 November 2011 |website=Manchester City Council |at=Explore Central Library's hidden depths |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111128074845/http://www.manchester.gov.uk/info/500138/central_library/4593/manchester_central_library |archive-date=28 November 2011 |url-status=dead}}</ref> [http://vimeo.com/8715096 video]. Those floors were only accessible to employees and were environmentally controlled to protect the books, many of which are old and fragile.<ref name="stacks"/> The upper two stack floors occupied all the area under the dome. The fourth level, the archive unit, was in the basement of the building. The lower two stack floors were smaller because the basement theatre took some of that area. In 2011 when the library closed for the alterations, there were 3,600 stack columns supporting approximately 45,000 shelves; those columns were rooted in the sandstone rock underneath and supported the Great Hall's reinforced concrete floor. Placed end to end, those shelves would have covered over {{convert|35|mi|km|0}}. The total floor area was about {{convert|7000|sqyd|m2|-1}}.<ref name="mcc_website"/> After the 2010–2014 alterations, many of the former stack books (except rare or valuable or fragile books) are on public shelves.

The library collections include over 30 [[incunabula]] (books published before 1500) and many first and early editions of major works. The special collections include:<ref name="mcc_website"/>
* '''[https://web.archive.org/web/20140817023702/http://www.manchester.gov.uk/info/447/rare_books_and_collections/338/literature_and_letters/2 The Gaskell Collection]''' – works by [[Elizabeth Gaskell]], one of the most important writers to have lived and worked in the city
* '''The Theatre Collection''' – a record of the history of [[theatre]] in Manchester
*'''The Henry Watson Music library''' – one of the largest public library collections of [[sheet music]], named after the Mancunian musician and composer Dr [[Henry Watson (musician)|Henry Watson]] (1846–1911) who bequeathed his collection to the library. It was officially opened in 1947 by Sir [[John Barbirolli]].<ref name="watson-library">{{cite web |title=Henry Watson Music library |url=https://www.manchester.gov.uk/info/447/rare_books_and_collections/7386/henry_watson_music_library |website=manchester.gov.uk |publisher=Manchester City Council |access-date=2 March 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210709004707/https://www.manchester.gov.uk/info/447/rare_books_and_collections/7386/henry_watson_music_library |archive-date=9 July 2021 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Duck |first1=Leonard |title=The Henry Watson Music Library |journal=The Musical Times |date=1952 |volume=93 |issue=1310 |pages=155–159 |doi=10.2307/935449 |jstor=935449 |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/935449 |access-date=2 March 2022 |issn=0027-4666|url-access=subscription }}</ref>
* '''The Newman Flower Collection of Handel Manuscripts''' – acquired from the estate of Sir [[Newman Flower]] by the Henry Watson Music library in 1965. This library of rare manuscripts had originally been collected by [[Charles Jennens]], a close friend of [[George Frederic Handel]], and was later held in the collection of the [[Heneage Finch, 3rd Earl of Aylesford|Earl of Aylesford]]. It contains works by Handel, as well as items of Italian music from the early 18th century, including concerto partbooks of ''[[The Four Seasons (Vivaldi)|the Four Seasons]]'' by [[Antonio Vivaldi]]. Notably, the collection also includes a number of previously unknown violin sonatas by Vivaldi, autographed by the composer, which are now known as ''The Manchester Sonatas''.<ref>Antonio Vivaldi, Manchester Violin Sonatas (1720, reprinted 1976) {{ISBN|0-89579-072-6}}</ref><ref name="watson-library" />

==Library Theatre==
The Library Theatre occupied much of the basement of Manchester Central Library and was the home of the Library Theatre Company, a Manchester City Council service. It was built in 1934 as a lecture theatre, and since 1952 had been used by the Library Theatre Company. After the 2011–2014 alterations, its area is now part of the library. A [[HOME (Manchester)|new theatre]] opened on First Street in partnership with [[Cornerhouse]], Manchester in 2015.{{fact|date=January 2025}}

==Memorials==
[[File:Spanish Civil War Memorial Manchester Central Library.jpg|alt=Spanish Civil War Memorial Manchester Central Library it shows a relief carved pair of hands on a backboard with the inscription Voluntarios Internacionales de la Libertad dedicated to the men & women from the Greater Manchester area who fought against fascism in Spain|thumb|Spanish Civil War Memorial, Manchester Central Library]]
There is a memorial to those from [[Greater Manchester]] who fought in the [[Spanish Civil War]] as part of the [[International Brigades]]. The inscription reads Voluntarios Internacionales de la Libertad dedicated to the men & women from the Greater Manchester area who fought against fascism in Spain.<ref>{{Cite web |title=War memorials in Manchester - Spanish Civil War {{!}} Manchester City Council |url=https://www.manchester.gov.uk/directory_record/429804/spanish_civil_war/category/1809/deansgate |access-date=31 August 2023 |website=manchester.gov.uk}}</ref> The memorial was designed by Sol Garson, and unveiled by Cllr. H.T. Lee on 12 February 1983.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Spanish Civil War-Men of Bolton, Manchester, Oldham, Rochdale and Sale |url=https://www.iwm.org.uk/memorials/item/memorial/3287 |access-date=31 August 2023 |website=Imperial War Museums |language=en}}</ref>

==Famous users==
[[Anthony Burgess]], the author who wrote the novel ''[[A Clockwork Orange (novel)|A Clockwork Orange]]'', was a regular visitor to the library during his school days. In a volume of his autobiography, ''[[Little Wilson and Big God]]'' (1987) he recounted his visit to the index system, then in temporary accommodation in Piccadilly, Manchester, where he met an older woman who took him to her flat in Ardwick where she seduced him.<ref>{{cite book |last=Burgess |first=Anthony |date=1986 |title=Little Wilson and Big God |publisher=Random House |pages=121–122 |isbn=9781446452554}}</ref>

==Statistics==
In 1968 it was recorded that the adult lending stock was 895,000, the adult reference stock 638,200, the junior stock 114,600, a total of nearly 1.65 million volumes. There were about 2,000 reading places and an estimated 10,000 people visited the library each day. There were subscriptions to 3,000 periodicals.<ref>Cotton, G. B. (1971) "Public libraries in the North West", in: ''Libraries in the North West: special issue of "North Western Newsletter" ''. Manchester: Library Association (North Western Branch); p. 6</ref>
[[File:St Peter's Square, Midlands Hotel, Central Library, Town Hall.jpg|thumb|center|600px|A panoramic view of St Peter's Square. From the far left to right: [[Midland Hotel, Manchester|Midland Hotel]], Manchester Central Library (before the current alterations), and [[Manchester Town Hall Extension]].]]

==See also==
{{Portal|Greater Manchester}}
*[[Grade II* listed buildings in Greater Manchester]]
*[[Listed buildings in Manchester-M2]]
*[[John Rylands Library]]

==References==
{{Reflist|2}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Manchester Central Library}}
*{{Official|1=https://www.manchester.gov.uk/site/scripts/documents.php?categoryID=500138}}
* [https://www.flickr.com/photos/manchesterarchiveplus/sets/72157634643430861/ Great Hall, Manchester Central Library Manchester Archives+]
* [http://www.manchester.gov.uk/site/scripts/documents.php?categoryID=500138 Central Library homepage]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20090804191802/http://www.manchester.gov.uk/site/scripts/documents_info.php?categoryID=500138&documentID=1212 History of Manchester Central Library]
* [http://www.images.manchester.gov.uk Local image collection] – contains historical photographs of the library
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20131203001703/http://www.librarytheatre.com/ The Library Theatre]
* [http://www.manchestertheatres.com/librarytheatre.htm What's On At The Library Theatre, Manchester]

{{St Peter's Square}}
{{Manchester B&S}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:1934 establishments in England]]
[[Category:Library buildings completed in 1934]]
[[Category:Public libraries in Greater Manchester]]
[[Category:Grade II* listed buildings in Manchester]]
[[Category:Libraries in Manchester]]
[[Category:Buildings by Vincent Harris]]
[[Category:St Peter's Square, Manchester]]
[[Category:Rotundas in the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Domes in the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Government buildings with domes]]