The Bank pub downstairs will close as all three floors return to library use for the first time in a century...
The Portico Library is set to take over its entire Grade II*-listed Manchester home for the first time in more than 100 years, with the pub occupying its ground floor due to close as part of a major redevelopment.
The historic library has secured a £6.4 million grant from The National Lottery Heritage Fund towards its Portico Reunited project, which will bring the ground floor and basement back into library use alongside its existing first-floor home.
It means The Bank pub, which currently occupies the lower part of the Mosley Street building, will close when redevelopment work begins in 2028.
The change effectively reverses a division of the building dating back more than a century.
When the Portico was founded in 1806, the whole building was devoted to the institution, operating as a subscription library and newsroom before Manchester had a free public library.
Designed by architect Thomas Harrison of Chester and built between 1802 and 1806, it originally featured a reading room at ground-floor level with the library arranged around an upper gallery. Historic England describes it as a Greek Revival building constructed from sandstone ashlar, with its distinctive Ionic-columned frontage facing Mosley Street.
The Portico was established by Manchester businessmen as a place to read books, newspapers and periodicals, as well as debate the ideas shaping the rapidly growing industrial city. Its first honorary secretary was Peter Mark Roget, later known for Roget’s Thesaurus.
By the early 20th century, financial pressures led the organisation to divide the building. In around 1920, a floor was inserted at gallery level and the ground floor and basement were leased out, leaving the Portico occupying the upper floor. The Bank of Athens became one of the building’s first commercial tenants in 1921.
The lower floors subsequently passed through a number of uses before becoming The Bank pub, previously known as the Forgery & Firkin. The pub still occupies what was originally the Portico’s newsroom.
Under the new plans, those spaces will once again become part of the library.
A new Northern Bookshop showcasing writers and publishers from across the region will be created alongside the Portico Kitchen, exhibition areas and new spaces for school workshops, events and learning.
The project will also restore the building’s historic interiors and glazed dome, introduce a lift and step-free Mosley Street entrance, and create a new architectural feature known as the Portico LightBox connecting the different levels.
The Portico’s collection of around 25,000 books and archive items will remain at the centre of the building, spanning literature, science, travel, history and maps accumulated across more than two centuries.
Dr Thom Keep, Librarian and CEO of The Portico Library, said: “This is a landmark moment in the Portico’s rich and complex history, and a huge achievement for our staff, trustees, volunteers, and partners. Their imagination, care and persistence have brought us to this point. Thanks to National Lottery players, we can reunite this extraordinary building and make room for people to discover, learn and create together.
“We have listened to thousands of people about what the Portico could become, and their ideas and experiences have helped shape these plans. Our ambition is a library that belongs to the whole city: a place to discover remarkable collections, question the stories we have inherited, and create new possibilities together.
“Books and stories help us see the world through other people’s eyes, building understanding and empathy. Whether you come to read, share food, join a conversation or simply enjoy a moment of calm, we want you to feel that the Portico is yours too.”
The Heritage Fund award forms part of a wider fundraising campaign of approximately £12 million, with further money still being sought to complete the project and support the library through construction and reopening.
The building is expected to close for construction in 2028 before reopening in early March 2030. During the works, the Portico plans to continue its programme through Porti-Go!, taking its collections and activities into temporary venues, community spaces and online.
Once complete, the Portico expects the reunited building to attract around 95,000 visitors each year.
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