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{{Short description|Building in Manchester, England}}
{{For|the library in Manchester, New Hampshire|Manchester City Library}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{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]]
|
|map_type =
|coordinates = {{coord|53.
|location_town = [[Manchester]]
|location_country =
|architect = [[E. Vincent Harris]]
|client = Manchester Corporation
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|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 = 2 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 building|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 |
==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 |publisher= Manchester City Council|
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#
In 1926 the city council held a competition to design
[[File:Manchester Central Library 2.jpg|thumb|Manchester Central Library at
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===
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
The library was declared open by King George V on 17 July 1934.<ref name="opening">{{Cite web |title=History of Central Library
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"... 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
===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 |
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
==Architecture==
[[File:
[[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]]
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, 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]].▼
[[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
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 |work=manchester.gov.uk |publisher=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"/>
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{{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 [[
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|
The ceiling decorations include the arms and crests of the Duchy of Lancaster, the [[
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 |
Beneath the Great Hall were four floors of steel book stacks providing {{convert|35
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}}</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.
==
[[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
▲[[Anthony Burgess]], the novelist who wrote the cult classic ''[[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, Being the First Part of the Confessions of Anthony Burgess|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 (p. 121, 1988 Penguin ed.)
==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
[[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
==See also==
{{
*[[Grade II* listed buildings in Greater Manchester]]
*[[Listed buildings in Manchester-M2]]
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==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/ * [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]
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{{Manchester B&S}}
{{Authority control}}
[[Category:Library buildings completed in 1934]]
[[Category:Public libraries in Greater Manchester]]
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[[Category:Theatres in Manchester]]
[[Category:Buildings by Vincent Harris]]
[[Category:1934 establishments in England]]
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