Central Library, Manchester

2 more images

Manchester Central Library was built between 1930 and 1934 in a traditional neoclassical design. E Vincent Harris designed the building and critics suggested classical canon and Italian influences in the building such as the column portico, colonnades and rotunda domed structure. The library opened in 1934 by King George V which boasted a reading room, a small theatre and quiet rooms for research students. The library has extensive collections on The Gaskell, the city's theatre history, The Newman Flower Collection of Handel Manuscripts and Italian music texts of Vivaldi (including Vivaldi).

The in house Library Theatre Company hostsproductions throughout the year. The theatre is situated down in the library's basement and a new theatre is currently being built nearby in 2014. During the library's refurbishment the company accessing other venues in the City Centre and county.

The library is currently closed for major refurbishment until 2014.

I'll never forget skipping school to revise for an exam in Central Library only to bump into my teacher. I wonder where Mr. Griffin is now?

Drop a pin here and it sounds like an avalanche. Its a truly magnificent building, and the inside has that kind of magical atmosphere that these places sometimes have. you will not be able to take out books unless you are resident or work in the city.

Designed by E. Vincent Harris and influenced by the Roman Pantheon, the Central Library opened in 1934. Remarkably surviving the WW2 bombs, the Central Library has provided generations of Mancunians and visitors a place to read, study, meet and enjoy a wealth of literature and archive material.

The Library Theatre is in the basement and the company produces classic and contemporary plays throughout the year.

The library is open from 10am Monday to Saturday.

The circular library is also an impressive building. Completed in 1934 it nestles in the concave curve of the Town Hall Extension built four years later, and together with the triangular-shaped Town Hall the three structures form one of the finest examples of civic design in the City.

This is another building worth a look inside o my next visit - apparently the reading room s quite interesting to see.

This busy square just south of Albert Square was once ST Peter's Fields, site of the Peterloo Massarce in 1819. In the middle of the square is the elegant Central Library(234 1900; admission free; open 10am-8pm, 10am-5pm Fri & Sat), built in 1934 and based on Rome's Pantheon. With over 20 miles of shelves, it is the largest municipal library in Britain. The building is also home to the Library Theatre. Also on the square is the Free Trade Hall, completed in 1856 and the only public building in Britain to be named after a principle. Now it is being turned into a fancy hotel

Built in 1934, the architect was Vincent Harris, and opened by King George V in July, 1934 this beautiful building is a joy to visit. It's one of Manchester's most famous landmarks and it's easy to see why. The library is open to everyone and is visited by people from all over the world.

~A fantastic building - see the shakespear window in the entrance hall, or go to the big reading room - you can here a pin drop and echo echo echo!

Opened in 1934 this was once the largest public library in Britain and is still one of the busiest. It's certainly one of the most attractive with its classical styling.