The Libraries of south Manchester, part 2, Didsbury and Withington

The Libraries of south Manchester, were “built in fulfilment of a promise made in 1904” that when the residents of Burnage, Chorlton, Didsbury and Withington voted for incorporation into the city of Manchester one of the benefits would be the provision of libraries.

Chorlton got theres in 1914 and Didsbury followed in 1915.  Like Chorlton’s library it was a brand new Library fit for a new century.

While it’s outside was in the words of its architect “'designed in the fifteenth century gothic style with tracery windows and emblems of Science, Knowledge, Literature, Music and Arts and Crafts in stone distributed over the building.”

Internally the electric light was designed to allow the public free access to the shelves, browsing and reading areas. The walls were tiled to dado height, the floor cork carpeted and the oak furniture, fittings and partitions for £600.

Withington followed in 1927 and like Chorlton and Levenshulme was paid for from the Carnegie Trust which funded 2,500 libraries across the world.

And like Chorlton the residents of Withington had had to rely on a converted house until their purpose built library was opened.

Pictures; Didsbury Library, m42651, & Withington, m42554, courtesy of Manchester Libraries, Information and Archives, Manchester City Council