St
Peters Square, Manchester M2 5PD
Telephone: 0161-234 1900.
An
important British library, which serves the city and the region,
and one of the largest outside London, it has an extensive collection
of books for lending and for reference, as befits a major university
city. It also houses audio-visual material and exhibitions.
anchester
had been the first local authority in Britain to introduce a public
lending and reference library, under powers granted by the Public
Libraries & Museums Act of 1850. Lending of books was free, costs
being supported by ratepayers.
The existing
building came as a result of many years searching for a suitable
place to house Manchester's growing collection of books and printed
materials. Amongst these are 30 incunabula - books printed before
1501. It also houses the Library Theatre, a café, shop and Local
Studies Unit.
It was designed
by London architect E. Vincent Harris, who won the competition
for its design as well as the adjacent Town
Hall Extension (built later). The foundation stone of the
library was laid by Prime Minister Ramsey MacDonald in 1930, and
it was officially opened by King George V on 17 July 1934.
It is regarded
as one of Harris's most confident and impressive buildings - a
Manchester landmark which dominates St Peter's Square, and commands
an imposing position when approaching from the south along one
of Manchester's busiest thoroughfares, Oxford Street.
The building
was constructed as an underlying 4 storey high steel frame, clad
in Portland stone, and rising 90 feet, with attic and storage
facilities below ground. It is clearly influenced by the Pantheon
in Rome.
ustication
is employed on the two lower floors to give the whole building
a feeling of massiveness and strength. Above this level are two
storeys behind giant Doric columns
Its southern
front is dominated by an imposing 5 bay portico of Corinthian
columns with rounded arches at each side. On top is a large domed
glass roof covering the central reading room, (similar to that
at the British Museum), but this is hidden from street level by
a higher surrounding lead-covered roof. Harris also designed the
furniture which is in evidence throughout the building. It cost
some £410,000 and the site on which it stands cost £187,800.
It is also
home to an extensive local history collection and a wide range
of specialist materials for visually and hearing impaired people
is available. It also has a Chinese book collection, reflecting
the large ethnic influence in Chinatown which is nearby.
See Also:
For the Portico Library, John Rylands Library, Chetham's Library,
etc, see Other Manchester Libraries
