Join Libby Tempest for a cup of tea with Cranford. A bookclub but with a difference - just a few passages from a book to read & discuss.

We’re putting the club back in book club with an evening of readings, dancing, chatting, and more.

In this exploration of books in our historic collection, Jonathan Swinton looks at the beauty of science amongst some of the lesser-known books in our collection: from plants to harmony to computing.

A handpicked collection of classical music from under-represented composers for small string ensembles.

HappeningInMCR and The Portico Library invites you to explore a Life Drawing class with a difference.

Are you a Teacher? Teaching Assistant? School Librarian? A Literacy or History Lead in a school or college? This event is for you.

Come join us at The Portico Library for an evening of spoken word and live music.

Standing Together: Ending Men’s Violence Against Women

Together, men and women can break the silence. Together, we can stand against injustice. Together, we can end men’s violence against women.

A panel discussion with clips of archive footage from documentaries about apartheid & the liberation of South Africa from the 1960s to 1990s

Why do we have different accents and where do they come from? Why do you say ‘tomayto’ & I say ‘tomahto’? And is one way of speaking better?

Create a green eco friendly book from scratch.

Come in. Sit down. Explore. The Unbuilt Room is part-performance, part-game... an interactive journey where the Portico creates memories.

Come in. Sit down. Explore. The Unbuilt Room is part-performance, part-game... an interactive journey where the Portico creates memories.

Come in. Sit down. Explore. The Unbuilt Room is part-performance, part-game... an interactive journey where the Portico creates memories.

Come in. Sit down. Explore. The Unbuilt Room is part-performance, part-game... an interactive journey where the Portico creates memories.

Come in. Sit down. Explore. The Unbuilt Room is part-performance, part-game... an interactive journey where the Portico creates memories.

Come in. Sit down. Explore. The Unbuilt Room is part-performance, part-game... an interactive journey where the Portico creates memories.

Stephe is a contemporary storyteller, creating and sharing intelligent, irreverent spoken-word with audiences across the UK, and beyond. Tangling together a new set of traditional tales, celebrating lives and loves transformed in northern lands, Northering Soul traces a twisting path through a mythic north that’s stranger than we think …

HappeningInMCR and The Portico Library invites you to explore a Life Drawing class with a difference.

Come join us at the Portico Library to participate in our Under Construction, the Portico Experiment pop up display. It’s a chance to find out where we have got to with our plans for Reuniting the Portico, find out about some of our history and collection.

How did Kate Greenway’s art reach and move generations of children? How do named literary prizes influence book sales and the publishing trade? Why does it seem that historical women are erased more often than men? This talk by historian and librarian, Dr Rose Roberto, will answer these questions.

Tour of the Streets around the Portico Library and the library

The exhibition ‘All Shall Be Afforded Dignity’ celebrates 30 years of democracy in South Africa and offers a chance to reflect on the enduring question of ‘dignity for all’ in South Africa and beyond.

On International Women's Day, come and find out about the women in the pages of the Portico's books - the women who are almost forgotten.

Drop in and find out more about some of the books in our collection on World Book Day. Just pop in and first editions of Victorian classics - some known, some not so known - will be on display as well as some notable works in our collection.

A talk on the Kindertransport by Lady Milena Grenfell-Baines.

To mark LGBTQ+ History Month, we’ll be bringing some books out from our collection to explore Oscar Wilde, Sappho, Chevalière d'Éon and Jeanette Winterson.

A screening of Mat Lingard’s Mother Tongues film (16 minutes) about the Chinese community in Manchester from 1986

Join the Portico Kitchen team for a series of unique dining experiences in one of the city’s most extraordinary settings.

Join Seleena Laverne Daye for all things zines. Hear a potted history of zines,  how they can be a tool for art and activism as well as being a fun way to express yourself creatively.