Voice ESEA look forward to welcoming people on 4 September for a launch reception honouring the Titanic's Chinese passengers.
Join contemporary storyteller Stephe Harrop for a creative writing workshop around stories and folk tales from the northern borders.
Join us for an intimate sonic experiment where UnHeard presents original classical contemporary works by Manchester-based composers.
We will make an A6 crossed structure notebook - a non-adhesive binding developed by Carmencho Arregui.
Step into an unforgettable evening of powerful true storytelling as we explore the theme ‘Reframing Resilience’.
Join us for an inclusive event where voices share raw, real and extraordinary personal stories that will move, challenge and inspire.
Slow down, read closely, think and discuss - that's what we are asking you to do in this club. Debbie Challis has choosen a few passages illustrating pride and prejudice from the novel of the same name. Turn off your smart phones, step away from the hectic pace of life, and discuss words.
Take part in a themed life drawing session under our 19thC dome with Happening in MCR. More details coming soon!
To celebrate the 250th anniversary of her birth, join the Portico Kitchen for an afternoon of thoughtful conversation and delectable bites centred on the work of Jane Austen.
How to read a book is an exhibition by Stephen Emmerson about language, writing, and memory. It also explores themes of neurodiversity by offering different ways of exploring and reading books.
This Saturday join us to meet two Manchester women who have written books celebrating the communities of this city and hope for the future.
Carol Ann Whitehead FRSA CMgr CCMI, welcomes Portico member Prof Phil Harris & co-author Patricia Rees for a discussion on Machiavelli.
A bookclub but with a difference - just a few passages to read & discuss in a relaxed environment. Perfect for a book few people have actually read.
Join award-winning novelists Essie Fox and Kate Griffin to find out more about the process of writing historical fiction and how to create a Gothic atmosphere. They will be talking about their recent novels, Essie Fox’s Dangerous (2024) and Kate Griffin’s Fyneshade (2023).
In this inspiring masterclass, Kevin Dalton-Johnson shares his personal experiences as a student, teacher, and leader in the arts.
Step into the rich world of Islamic illumination – a centuries-old art form used to beautify sacred manuscripts with intricate floral motifs and shimmering gold accents.
A bookclub but with a difference - just a few passages to read & discuss in a relaxed environment. On Halloween at dusk, it has to be The Vampyre. . . .
An empowering one-person performance poetry show all about family! For children (aged 5+) and their grown ups
A rare chance to hear the eerie stories of M R James, performed by R M Lloyd Parry, in an atmospheric 19th century Library.
We will make a proper hardback book with a difference!
A bookclub but with a difference - just a few passages to read & discuss in a relaxed environment. Perfect for a Friday afternoon. . .
Join us at the Portico Library this summer to make postcards of our space and books using collage and photos.
Take part in a themed life drawing session under our 19thC dome with Happening in MCR. More details coming soon!
New research by Manchester’s Global Threads team, published by The Portico Library, traces the library’s foundation in 1802 as an exclusive members’ Library to profits and individuals linked to the city’s underacknowledged history connected to the transatlantic slave trade.
Join the Portico Kitchen team for a series of unique dining experiences in one of the city’s most extraordinary settings.
Join us at the Portico Library this summer to record our space and books as they look now.
Join us at the Portico Library this summer to record our space and books as they look now.
Join us at the Portico Library this summer to record our space and books as they look now.
Jo Bell joins us to discuss Boater: A Life on England's Waterways - the debut memoir written by the UK’s inaugral Canal & River Trust poet laureate.
Join us at the Portico Library this summer to record our space and books as they look now.
Come and try out a new show and format as Jennifer and Tom bring us a new combination of Lancashire and Cheshire songs, fiddling & dance.
Join us at the Portico Library this summer to record our space and books as they look now.
Join us for an evening exploring the beauty and strangeness of the everyday world.
Poet and presenter for the Verb on Radio 4 Ian McMillan and photographer Andrew Brooks will be sharing more about their exhibition The Songs The Morning Sang at the Portico Library. Then they will take a group each out onto the streets of Manchester to explore similar details and sights.
Step into the world of traditional Islamic art in this unique cultural workshop at the historic Portico Library run by Creative Society Manchester.
Award winning author, William Rayfet Hunter talks about his new book Sunstruck - a dazzling & poignant exploration of race, status and love.
We extend a cordial invitation to join us for a cinematic celebration of Dynamic Collections: People Purpose and Place in Historic Books.
A pop up historic book event to celebrate all things sunny, light and the solstice. Free - drop in!
Join the Portico Kitchen team for a series of unique dining experiences in one of the city’s most extraordinary settings.
‘It was such a pleasure to me to sit out in the open garden and paint.’ A conversation about the artists who painted & the people they painted in Rhodes in 1863 and the legacies today.
Make your own journal for going away to keep tickets, postcards etc in through traditional techniques.
In this workshop, Vashti will transport you through her autobiographical writing, videos, poetry, and photography to Jos Plateau in Nigeria
Inspired by original research and filled with colour and drama, The Roads to Rome is an exploration of two thousand years of history as seen through one the greatest imperial networks ever built.
An exhibition by and a collaboration between poet Ian McMillan and photographer Andrew Brooks, that explores streets in early morning light.
HappeningInMCR and The Portico Library invites you to explore a Life Drawing class with a difference.
Look for a Am I Made of Stardust? Book at the Portico this half term s part of Manchester’s Festival of Libraries.
A bookclub but with a difference - just a few passages to read & discuss. This time it is nature passages from Charlotte Bronte's Shirley.
Join contemporary storyteller Stephe Harrop for a creative writing workshop around stories and folk tales from the northern borders.
Jennifer Reid returns to the Portico Library fresh from her New Zealand tour to perform songs from the Portico collection and perhaps share some of her new album before the official launch on 21 May.
We’re putting the club back in book club with an evening of readings, dancing, chatting, and more.
In this exploration of books in our historic collection, Jonathan Swinton looks at the beauty of science amongst some of the lesser-known books in our collection: from plants to harmony to computing.
