Portico Library & Gallery

Blink and you will miss this place! All the time i have lived in Manchester i have been unaware of its existence until me and a group of friends decided to be a bit more cultured one Saturday and check a few museums and library’s out. It is located just above the «Bank» pub on Moseley Street– interesting fact fact fans the pub rent the space from the library! You access it via a little black door just round the corner from the pub and have to ring to gain access. Follow the staircase right to the top of the building. Once there you will be greeted by old quirky library with the most fabulous ceiling depicting the coats of arms of England, Wales, Salford, Manchester to name some. They have regular exhibitions by local artists and you can become a member of the library if you wish to escape from the real world for a bit.

I am sure we all have had one of those blah days which suddenly get very exciting with a new discovery… I had one of those days last week when I dropped my very close friend at the train station (was a little sad, emotional cow that I am) and then met a friend who was walking home with me just to point out this incredible library. Its located right above the pub Bank (I used to call it ‘The Old Man’s Pub’) which is very close to Piccadilly Gardens. The minute he pointed out I wanted to go in and see what it is like. The most interesting entrance ever, because we had to ring the door bell (very old English style bell) to enter. Very Cool and Very British. The moment I walked in I felt like I am in a Sherlock Holmes movie. yeah its Grand and so mysterious.
This is a 19^th century library, with books from the late 18^th century (whoa) and a little fun fact the librarian told us … John Dalton wanted a membership here which he could not afford so he was asked to clean the grand clock (which btw was made by the same chap who made the clock for Big Ben) instead of paying the membership fee! How awesome is that? This used to be the hub for the rich and the famous once upon a time but sadly not many people know about it now and barely a few visit. *sigh*. The space inside is incredible and perfect for art exhibitions and guess what they actually do have quite a few of those. There are book reading sessions here too, so next time you complain about not finding a good place to do such cultural stuff, you know where to go! The membership fee here is as low as 175 pounds for the whole year and you get to access every book and much more…
Verdict: *Phew* I am totally bowled and sold! Can’t wait to go back again!

Not the nicest library around but still worth a visit. The building of it was completed in 1806 and it is done in a grecian style. It has the oldest private subscription in the uk. There is a wind dial here which was made by Thwites of london, who also made the clock for big ben. To join this it costs 110 a year but they offer free access once a month.