Curiosities of the Building: The Dome

Pressing the buzzer and then climbing the stairs, you are all the while wondering what could possibly be at the top. But you never expect the dome. Its impression on first-time visitors is always the same, Wow!

The domed ceiling at the Portico is one of its most striking features. It creates a sense of light and of space and adds to the realisation that you have just entered somewhere special.

The dome was part of the original building  though at that time it was done with plain glass. It was in 1856 that the stained glass panels were fitted. Records show that some members feared that the removal of plain glass would result in a darker library which was a fair point in the times of candle power!  Eventually the windows facing Charlotte Street were installed and although the Library can be dark on an early winter afternoon, today it only adds to the cosy atmosphere. 

The stained glass panels in the dome contain 8 coats of arms.  We have managed to identify 7 of these: Salford, Manchester, England, Scotland, Ireland, the Diocese of Manchester, and the Duchy of Lancaster. 

The final coat of arms is that of the Duchy of Lancaster in the centre of an orange Maltese cross on a blue background. If there are any heraldry experts reading this - we welcome your expertise in identifying it!

Curiosities of the Building: The Post Box

The Portico is housed in its original building, a Grade II* Listed building of Regency Georgian architecture.  Most people assume that we are part of the Bank pub which in fact leases the ground floor from us! The building itself, designed by architect Thomas Harrison, contains numerous curiosities, one of which is the wall letter-box at the front of the building on the Charlotte Street corner at the base of a column.  The Library minute books tell us that the post-box has occupied its present site since 1895.  At the time of the Portico’s establishment, Mosley Street was a residential area, home to the genteel and elite of the city. Homes were gradually converted to warehouses and businesses and it eventually became the commercial area it now is.

Prior to the post-box Proprietors employed a ‘postman’ to take their mail for a salary of £2 per annum from 1822 to 1837, a position which was possibly succeeded by the Library’s ‘boy’ until 1863. However, despite the convenience of having a post-box, quite literally, on the doorstep, the minutes reflect that the Committee and Proprietors kicked up quite a fuss with the Postmaster and Corporation over the idea of a post-box being placed on their land.

Regardless of their objections, and despite the establishment of Post Office buildings within a close proximity, the pillar-box red post-box with its raised crown and "VR" and its “Post Office” inscription has remained in its original site, just like the Library, for over 100 years, an institution in itself.

More information on the Portico post-box is available in The Portico Library Post-Box: a link with 1883, Portico Monograph No. 8 by Phyllis M. Giles (1996), on sale for £1.50 in the Library.