How to Visit Manchester’s (Once) Men-Only Portico Library

When looking for the best libraries in Manchester, England, don’t overlook the unassuming Portico Library. 

This Manchester staple has been around for two hundred years, and though it’s now open to anyone who wants to visit, it once was only open to Manchester’s wealthy men — that’s right, no women allowed.

Many tourists overlook Portico Library in favor of Chetham’s, or even John Ryland’s, both of which are undeniably worth visiting. But for any book lover or appreciator of culture and history, the Portico Library is one free thing to do in Manchester that should be on your itinerary.

Plus, the Portico Library isn’t just something beautiful on which to gaze; it has some really unique opportunities to get involved in their book preservation work.

Let’s dive in and talk about how to visit, what you’ll see, frequently asked questions, and how to get involved.

Don’t forget to pin this post for later to help you when planning a Manchester UK itinerary.

Whenever possible, I recommend buying books at local bookshops or through Bookshop.org, because shopping there puts the profits right into the hands of indie bookstores all over the country.

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Portico Library History

The Portico Library has been a Manchester institution for two centuries — that makes it almost twice as old as one of my other favorite Manchester libraries, John Rylands Library. The Portico opened in 1806. A group of 400 Manchester businessmen wanted to found a library in what was becoming “the first modern city.”

The founding members of Portico Library, though they may have been limited to rich men, at least seemed generally interested in improving the world around them. Many of the early members pushed for the library to include public access. Some campaigned for improved factory conditions in Manchester or got involved in other issues of progressive politics.

The library is built in the neoclassical style, or to be more specific, the Portico Library is designed to look like a Greek temple, complete with Ionic pillars on the exterior.

The interior of the Portico Library is beautiful if you are a lover of old books and dark academia vibes. It looks exactly how you’d think a group of businessmen would design a men’s only library, actually. Lots of dark wood and leather furniture. You’ll also find portraits of William Shakespeare and John Milton adorning the walls.

The library houses 25,000 books, including literature, history, politics, and an extensive selection of travel literature from the last two centuries.

Today, the Portico Library is greatly changed from the original. You no longer enter through the impressive neoclassical facade; the main floor of the building has become a pub called The Bar. To get to Portico Library, you’ll enter through a rather stealthy side door, proceeding up the stairs to the main room of the library.

Elizabeth Gaskell & the Portico Library

When the Portico Library opened in 1806 until the Married Women Property Act of 1870, the Portico Library was a men’s only library. Women were not permitted to subscribe to borrow books or to visit the interior of the library at all. 

That ban included one of Manchester’s most famous writers, Elizabeth Gaskell (whose house has been turned into a museum for visitors and is one of the best things to do in Manchester). In order to get around this limiting rule of no women allowed, Elizabeth Gaskell worked together with her husband, William Gaskell.

William Gaskell became a subscribing member of the Portico Library and would write down the book requests of Elizabeth and their daughters and check those books out on their behalf.

“I can see all the quarterlies three months after they are published… till then they lie on the Portico table, for gentlemen to see. I think I will go in for Women’s Rights!” 

Elizabeth gaskell

Elizabeth Gaskell isn’t the only famous writer to have faced this gendered discrimination in libraries. Virginia Woolf, another of my favorite English writers, was also shut out of a university library for being a woman, which she famously documented in A Room of One’s Own. 

“Lock up your libraries if you like; but there is no gate, no lock, no bolt that you can set upon the freedom of my mind.”

Virginia Woolf

Ironically, although the library wasn’t happy to welcome Elizabeth Gaskell as a member during her lifetime, some of her first editions and other papers are now some of the most prized items in the Portico Library collection. 

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Visiting the Portico Library

These days, Manchester visitors can check out the Portico Library for free. You’ll enter the library from the right side of the building, proceeding up a windy staircase to enter the main library room.

Inside, you can check out the impressive library, lined with floor-to-ceiling bookshelves that are original to the space. The shelves are filled with antiquarian books, many of which are in need of rebinding, an ongoing project for the library and one of the opportunities for bookish people to get involved (see below).

You’ll notice the sections of books labeled in paint at the tops of the floor-to-ceiling bookcases. My favorite is the Polite Literature section. There are also extensive selections dedicated to travel.  

A railing goes around the room, which at first glance seems to be keeping visitors from getting too close to the bookshelves with their delicate treasures, but this isn’t true. Visitors are free to go around the railings and examine the shelves more closely. 

Actually, this railing is from the Portico Library’s early days, when the library covered multiple floors. The center floor of the library room, which now houses rotating exhibits, did not exist in the original version of the library. Instead, this section was open to a lower floor. 

In the center of the library, you can peruse the current exhibit. During my time here, they had books on display that were selected by library volunteers, such as a first edition of Charlotte Brontë’s Shirley.

Also, interestingly, there’s a section of books which you are encouraged to handle. Have a seat in the short armchair and pull these books from the shelves, flipping through the pages and enjoying that inimitable old book smell. 

If you walk along the outside edge of the library, you will also come upon a modest selection of secondhand books for sale.

Make sure you take time to sign the rather creative version of a guest book at Portico Library. The guest log is meant to be a “living archive.” Rather than simply signing your name on the line, select an image from some nearby papers to cut out and paste in the book. Then, answer the questions given in the prompt. I loved this creative element for visitors to Portico Library to leave a unique contribution to the archives. 

Visitors to Portico Library can also browse a selection of used books for sale, one of the many places to find second hand books in Manchester. Of course, all proceeds benefit the library’s ongoing work.

Expect lots of changes to Portico Library in the upcoming years. It was just named the recipient of a half million pound grant from the National Lottery Heritage Fund to restore the library to what it once was. The plan is to reunite the three original floors of the Portico Library for the first time in over 100 years.

Portico Library opening times & location

The Portico Library can be found at 57 Mosley Street, Manchester, England.

It is open to visitors from Monday-through Saturday for the following hours, as of December, 2023:

Is the Portico library free?

Yes, anyone can visit the Portico Library for free, with no reservation or ticket required. However, if you want to visit the library’s historic reading room, or look through any of the books in the library’s collection, you will have to have a paid membership to the library (see below).

Can you study in Portico library? 

While the Portico Library is free to enter, it’s not the best place to study in Manchester unless you are a paid member. If you are a casual visitor, you’ll find there aren’t many places within the main library room to sit and study apart from a few centrally located tables and chairs.

Portico Library members, however, can take full advantage of the reading room in which to study, away from casual guests. 

Can anyone visit the Portico library reading room?

No, sadly, the famous Portico Library reading room is only available to those with paid library memberships. However, if you cross the railing line on the right side of the main library room (looking in from the entry), and go all the way to the back, you may can sneak a tiny peek of the reading room entrance. 

How long does it take to visit Portico Library?

Luckily, visiting Portico Library doesn’t take long. It’s easy to stop in here for 10-30 minutes while doing your other Manchester sightseeing.

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Get Involved at Portico Library

A visit to Portico Library doesn’t take long, but you may find yourself inspired to spend more of your time here. Perhaps you long to sit in the historic reading room, or peruse some of the books from their collection, or otherwise support the library’s works. 

Here are some ways you can get more involved at Portico Library, whether you live locally or are just visiting for a weekend.

Become a member of Portico library

Portico Library membership benefits include access to the entire collection of books at the Portico Library, access to online newspapers, magazines, and journals, and, perhaps best of all, use of the gorgeous reading room for your work, relaxation, and study. 

The following prices are current as of December 2023, but you should always double check the official website in case of fluctuating costs of membership. 

• Town membership £223 for those who live within 20 miles of the library
• Country membership £157 for those who live more than 20 miles away
• Retired membership for £157 
• Student/young person (under 26) membership for £70

Become a reader at Portico library

Anyone can apply to be a reader at Portico Library, even if you don’t have a paid membership. However, this does require some advanced planning. For £10, you can access the full library for one week; £25 will get you access for a month. 

In order to become a reader at Portico Library, you must:

1. Fill out an online application and have it accepted.
2. Then, communicate with members of staff at Portico Library to designate what items you’d like to view and schedule an appointment.
3. The day of your visit, provide payment, a letter of recommendation, and official identification, such as a passport. 

Insider Tip: I’d recommend going through this process ASAP when you know you’re visiting Manchester. I had an accepted application to be a reader and emailed approximately 5 days before my visit to request items, but I didn’t receive an email back until after I’d already come and left, because the person who coordinates visits was not in the office, and no one was monitoring her emails. 

So the sooner, the better, really. 

Volunteer at Portico Library

When I visited the Portico Library, they were actively recruiting new library volunteers. Let me tell you, this sounds like an absolute dream volunteer opportunity for book lovers, and one I’d absolutely jump on if I lived nearby. 

Volunteers can help with front desk duties and events but also may get the opportunity to care for the antiquarian books in the library’s collection. They also get involved in selecting public exhibitions and leading community workshops.

From a display in the library:

“We cannot look after this collection without the support of our volunteers. Our volunteers are the people closest to our books. Some of them know a shelf so well it is like the back of their hand.”

Anyone over 18 is welcome to apply to volunteer at Portico Library, but you’ll have to keep an eye on their application windows, which seem to happen in October-November each year. Volunteering does involve an interview and a training process. 

Adopt a Book to restore

If you don’t live locally to Manchester, you can still support the Portico Library through their Adopt a Book Program. More than 50% of the 25,000 books in Portico Library are in need of some repair. 

You can adopt specific books in the Portico Library’s collection, meaning you sponsor the costs associated with its repair or rebinding. For example, you could sponsor the rebinding needed for their first edition copy of Shirley by Charlotte Brontë. (More than likely, you’ll contribute toward it, as the total estimated repair cost is £1,700). 

If you want to be singlehandedly responsible for the repair of a book, the lower end of repair costs tend to be around £120.

If you adopt a book at Portico Library, they will place a commemorative book plate in the front of the book memorializing your contribution. If you prefer, you can donate on behalf of a loved one, and their name will appear in the book. What a fantastic bookish gift idea! 

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More Manchester Libraries to Visit

Manchester is a UNESCO City of Literature, and it’s well deserving of the title. There are several gorgeous libraries any book lover ought to check out on a visit to Manchester. These include:

• Chetham’s Library: the oldest public library in the UK, complete with chained books, tales of ghosts, and the devil’s hoofprint
• John Ryland’s Library: the closest you’ll ever get to walking through Hogwarts; a neo gothic masterpiece of architecture and a veritable cathedral of books
• Manchester Central Library: a modern library, but a beautiful one, with expansive reading rooms, domed ceilings, a dedicated music library, an enormous family history center, and more

As well as a number of excellent independent bookstores in Manchester worth browsing. 

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Any traveling book lover will enjoy a free visit to Portico Library in Manchester, and to those looking to get more involved in a historic library, the opportunities here are incredible!

What other beautiful libraries would you like to find out about?

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