Learning at the Portico Library

The Portico Library’s Global Threads: A Transatlantic Institution

New research by Manchester’s Global Threads team, published by The Portico Library, traces the library’s foundation in 1802 as an exclusive library to profits and individuals linked to the city’s underacknowledged history connected to the transatlantic slave trade. Researchers Jeevan Kaur Sanghera and Ella Sinclair have discovered never-before-seen connections between the institution and histories of enslavement, exploitation, and the resistance of enslaved people in the Caribbean, embedding the story of this nineteenth-century institution in contemporary discussions for reparative justice.

The research team have traced direct links between the Portico’s prominent members to transatlantic slavery and colonial economies across the globe – from Haiti, to Jamaica, Grenada, St. Lucia, the United States, and beyond. This is a transatlantic history of the Portico Library – and Manchester – stretching its limits beyond the boundaries of the city, connecting its history to the enslaved people and communities directly impacted by Britain’s transatlantic slave trade and colonial pursuits.

With the Portico Reunited project aim of “reading the past to build the future”, the library aims to put these new research findings and transatlantic connections at the service of visitors, community members, and artists for reflection, response, and discussion about how they can help shape the future direction and programming of the institution. Bringing these human experiences to the forefront the research provides crucial context for ongoing reparative justice agendas.

We’d like to acknowledge the emotional labour that has gone into this research and these case studies are not easy to read. Please be aware of this and be mindful of holding the space for yourself and others when reading them. We have pulled together some supporting organisations and a grounding exercise that is available to download as content support here.

The case studies are all free to download as PDFs. The Press Release is available here.

Samuel Ringgold Ward: A Black Abolitionist in Manchester

Samuel Ringgold Ward was an African-American Abolitionist who visited England, and was mainly based in Manchester, in 1853-54. He campaigned against the enslavement of Black people in the USA, Canada and England, and the use of raw cotton (and other goods) that enslaved people picked in the manufacturing industry.

This resource introduces his life, campaigning and makes links between the struggle for abolition and workers’ rights in the mid nineteenth century. It is suitable to be used in Black History supplementary schools or groups as well as for Key Stage Three History (Political Reform).

Download the Word Document here.

Download the PDF here.

This resource is part of the Reunited Portico Project funded by the National Heritage Lottery Fund to raise awareness of our collection and the history of people in Manchester. This resource is offered under a CC attribution non-commercial share alike license. In any attribution, please credit both the author listed and the Portico Library.

Parise Carmichael-Murphy. (2025). ‘Samuel Ringgold Ward. A Black Abolitionist in Manchester – Resources’, Portico Library, Manchester.

Trading the Poppy Schools’ Resource

A Key Stage 3 schools’ resource has been produced from the work and activities as part of the 2024 Infamous: Opium, Silk and the Mission exhibition to explore the role of the global impact of and Empire in the industrial revolution and Manchester’s role on the international stage.

This work is part funded by the Granada Foundation. The resource has Teachers’ Notes, A Powerpoint Presentation (with video embedded) and Student Worksheet with a Timeline.

Mischievous Creatures: Folk Tales in the Northwest

Unleash your class's imagination with these fun craft and creative KS2 (adaptable for KS1) writing activities inspired by Northern folklore and the Portico collection. Developed by the Portico Library with support from creative practitioner Sumayyah El-Din and acclaimed author Marie Basting. Explore some of the mischievous folk who appear in traditional tales commonly told in the North. Meet characters like Will-O-The-Wisp, and Wag-at-the-Wa who preside over marshlands and roaring fires, and discover the comedic mischief of the Mancunian Boggarts. Then create your own stories about them and / or create their house. Download our Teachers’ Notes, Powerpoint Presentation and Character Card for use in the classroom.