Welcome to the Portico Library, Manchester’s original 19th-century home of literature and learning. Uncovering, imagining, and sharing new histories together.
What’s On…
Enjoy our public programme. From talks, performances and exhibitions to awards, workshops and new research projects.
Visit the Portico
The Portico Library is open to the public and free to enter. Come and enjoy this special place, take a rest from the bustle of the city, see the latest exhibition and enter a world of literature, history, and creativity.
The Collection
The Portico is home to over 25,000 books. Everyone who visits the Portico Library can view a selection of these alongside new artworks and items from our archive in our free public exhibitions.
If you want to delve deeper, you can become a member, a reader, or a researcher. Search our collection and see its treasures below.
About the Portico Library
Built at the height of European colonialism and in the heart of the Industrial Revolution, the story of the Portico is the story of the modern world, and of Manchester—‘the first modern city’. Discover its history and share in its future.
