A Homage to Central Library …. another story from Tony Goulding

This is a snapshot, taken by my friend Joyce’s father, of Manchester’s iconic Grade II listed Central Library, while it was under construction during the early 1930s. 

Central Library, under construction early 1930s 

Its foundation stone was laid by the Prime Minister of the day, James Ramsay MacDonald on 6th May 1930, and following construction work of more than four years the completed building was opened on 17th July 1934 by King George V in a dual ceremony after he had also just laid the foundation stone for the adjacent town hall extension. (1)

Central Library is well named and was much needed as it was large enough and purposefully designed to locate both a lending library and various reference libraries in one place. 

Manchester’s library service expanded rapidly following the opening of the first public library in Campfield (an area off Deansgate at the London Road end) in 1852. 

It was officially opened on Thursday 2nd September 1852 accompanied by a great fanfare with many luminaries in attendance both literary and political. (2) 

This original building was Manchester’s main library until in 1877 it was deemed “unfit for purpose” and condemned. The following year (Friday 12th July 1878) the building collapsed burying and seriously injuring three men who were working in it at the time. 

Old Deansgate lending library

The city’s growing collection of reference works was removed to the recently vacated Town Hall on King Street; however, objections were raised towards housing a lending library in this building. 

Eventually a new city centre lending library was established on the upper floors of the new city council’s market building on Deansgate close to the site of the original library in Campfield. (3)

This “temporary” arrangement was maintained until 1912 when the value of the prime location of the King Street site became too lucrative for the council to resist.  The library was moved, again “temporarily”, to Piccadilly, occupying parts of the Manchester Royal Infirmary which had itself been relocated to its present position on Oxford Road.

It was acknowledged that housing the libraries in disparate locations and in such a piecemeal fashion was far from ideal. It was also true that although a pioneer in the provision of public libraries, Manchester had been slow to erect a dedicated edifice to both serve as the city’s main lending library and house its growing catalogue of significant reference works and its collection of  valuable first editions of books by celebrated authors especially those, like Elizabeth Gaskell, who had worked in the city.

Detail of my grandfather’s bookmark showing the main reading room

There were also more than 30 “books” from the 15th century when printing was just being developed which due to their age and fragility needed a closely controlled environment.

Central Library has provided a backdrop to my own life for over half a century now. It was where I crammed for my “A” levels (I can still vividly recall memorising the sites and uses of hydro-electric power in France for my Geography exam). 

It was not, however, just for schoolwork which I used the library for in my teenage years, for as a budding thespian, I often visited the play collection housed in a gallery on the 4th floor. Copies of plays could be borrowed enough for each cast member. 

After play-reading a few one-act plays the youth club I was undecided on one to perform in the Manchester Youth Drama Festival, 1972

It was “The Man Who Thought for Himself" by Neil Grant in which I played a rather stiff policeman; sadly, this did not propel me to West End or Hollywood fame! I did, however, once spend an enjoyable evening in the Library Theatre in the Central Library’s basement watching a Peter Nichols play: “Blue Murder”. 

Youth Drama Festiva,, 1972

Much later I spent many hours in pre-internet days exploring all the library’s various sections researching for a fiendishly difficult monthly postal quiz.

 Following the release of the 1901 census online I then used the Library’s free access to the internet to further explore my family history leading almost inexorably on to my present pursuit of local history. 

In closing I would just like to add a footnote to the story, referencing my family connection to Manchester’s Central Library. 

My grandfather, a professional photographer, produced these bookmarks depicting a scenic view of the library from St. Peter’s Square and images of the inside of the new building.

The programme for the night of our performance.

Pictures: - Cervantes Insitute by Clem Rutter, Rochester, Kent. - I, the copyright holder of this work, hereby publish it under the following license, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=10127902.

Others from the collection of Tony Goulding. (Library under construction by courtesy of Joyce Lindley)

 Notes: -

1) The following day the king, continuing his visit to the North-West officially opened the 2.01-mile Queensway Tunnel in Liverpool; the first road tunnel under the river Mersey connecting Liverpool with Birkenhead.

2) This opening was a very significant event, in that Manchester became the first city in the United Kingdom to take the opportunity provided by the recently passed Public Libraries Act 1850 and establish a free library funded by the local rates. Hence nearly 1,000 people including many dignitaries were in attendance to witness the momentous occasion. The literary figures present included Charles Dickens, and William Makepeace Thackeray, while the politicians were headed by the 7th Earl of Shaftesbury, the 2nd Earl of Wilton (of the Egerton family) and John Bright, the Radical M.P. for Manchester. Sir Edward Bulwer-Lyton could be said to have had a foot in both camps.

 3) This building which is now home to the Manchester office of The Instituto Cervantes the Spanish language school and cultural hub, was designed by two architects with Chorlton-cum-Hardy connections: George Meek and John Allison. John Allison was the City Surveyor who lived in “Rosslyn” on Wilbraham Road, Chorlton-cum-Hardy where he died on Tuesday, 13th February 1894 and was buried in Manchester’s Southern Cemetery.

George Meek was Mr. Allisons assistant, the head engineer in the City Surveyor’s office he lived for a time at 19, Whitelow Road, Chorlton-cum-Hardy