Historic Portico Library In Manchester Wins Renovation Funds
The Portico Library in Manchester, a Grade II listed building, has been awarded a £453,000 restoration grant by the The National Lottery Heritage Fund. BBC News reports that the funds will be used to transform the ground floor into a community space, while the upper floors will have architectural and heritage features restored or conserved.
The city centre library on Mosley Street was built in 1806 as part of the so-called ‘information revolution’ that was sweeping across Europe. It was initially an independent subscription library and newsroom. The idea was inspired by the Athenaeum in Liverpool, and a group of local businessmen raised funds from 400 subscribers across the city.
The building was designed in the Greek Revival style by Thomas Harrison of Chester, and one of its gems is a large circular roof stained-glass window with a border of plasterwork ceiling roses. Among the library’s subscribers were the city’s leading scientists, educators, politicians, and businessmen.
However, women were not permitted to be members of the library until the Married Women’s Property Act of 1870 came into effect. This meant that one of Manchester’s most highly regarded writers, Elizabeth Gaskell, could not read reviews of her own work in the library, despite the fact that her novels were available to read in the book collections.
The library has continued to play an important role in the cultural and intellectual life of the city, with more recent members including the footballer Eric Cantona and the writers Gary Younge and Val McDermid. It’s free to access and holds a wide collection of books, archives, and illustrations.
The renovations will see the ground floor and basement transformed into a bookshop with space for educational activities and a meeting and event space. The upper floors will be renovated to showcase the manuscript archive and book collections, and the unique architectural features will be restored.
Library chairman John Carpenter said the redevelopment will create an "accessible and sustainable space for arts, books, learning and history in the library".
He continued: "The news that the fund is supporting the library's bold scheme to open up and share its extraordinary heritage and collection to Manchester residents and visitors is a major cultural signal to Manchester, the North and the UK.
"This visionary project, years in the making, fulfils our mission of working with the many people in Manchester to explore, share, and celebrate their diverse stories and the city's literary and global heritage. Embracing creativity, collaboration and inclusivity, the project will unlock the Library's past to plan for the future."
The project leaders will work with local community groups to help inform their decisions on how the space should be best used. The building will also be made fully accessible to all with the installation of a lift.