The Portico Library

The Portico Library stands on Mosley Street in central Manchester. Built between 1802 and 1806, it is a small independent subscription library in the Greek Revival style. Thomas Harrison of Chester designed the building, which is now Grade II* listed. The library opened in 1806 after Manchester businessmen raised 400 subscriptions. Peter Mark Roget began work on his famous thesaurus here as its first secretary. The library became a centre for literary and intellectual life in early 19th-century Manchester. Its first chairman was John Ferriar, and other members included John Dalton, William Gaskell and Sir Robert Peel. In 2023 the library received a £453,000 grant to reunite all three floors for the first time in over a century. Plans will restore the ground floor and basement as a northern bookshop with dining and exhibition areas. Visitors now find the historic book collection on the first floor, reached from Charlotte Street. The ground floor houses The Bank public house, named after the Bank of Athens. The interior features a rectangular plan with sandstone ashlar and Ionic columns. Tall sash windows and a glass-domed ceiling add to the classical atmosphere. The library also hosts literary prizes such as the Portico Prize for Literature and the Sadie Massey Award.