Central Library
Manchester Central Library was constructed between 1930 and 1934, but because of its traditional neoclassical architecture it is often mistakenly thought to be much older. The form of the building, a columned portico attached to a rotunda domed structure, is loosely derived from the Pantheon, Rome. The library building is grade II* listed.[2] In 2011, a three year project to renovate and refurbish the library was started.
Designed by architect Vincent Harris, the striking rotunda form of the library was inspired by the Pantheon in Rome. Like its 2nd-century model, the library is a round building fronted by a large two-storey portico which forms the main entrance on St Peter's Square, and is surrounded by five bays of Corinthian columns. Around the second and third floors is a Tuscan colonnade, topped by a band of unrelieved Portland stone.
The pitched leaded roof appears from street level to be a dome, but this is only a surrounding roof. The dome that can be seen from within the Great Hall lies within this roof, and cannot be seen from the ground.
This set takes you through the construction of the building, and lets you see the magnificence of Central Library from ground up.