A little update...

A little update to let you know that this week, the Portico cataloguing project reached 15,000 volumes! As well as being a lovely round number, this also means that more than half of the Portico’s holdings are available for search online. Currently being catalogued are the Collected Works and the Biography sections. 

Work will start in the upcoming weeks on the treasures held in the reading room...

Our 15,000^th record was Memoirs of Charles Mathews, comedian, by Mrs. Anne Jackson, [Ft 11-3].  Mathews was an English theatre manager and comic actor, famed for his excellent mimicry and work at Drury Lane Theatre. The Portico holds his biography as part of a 4 volume set, and each features several beautifully intricate illustrations of Mathews on stage throughout his career:

To search the library catalogue click here.

Portico Poetry Prizes.

The library is delighted to announce full details of our new poetry competition.

There will be two awards; The Portico Poetry Prize and The Portico Young Poetry Prize. Entry for the former is £4; the latter is free.

All poems entered must be linked in some way to the works of Charles Dickens.

The Portico Poetry Prize will be judged by Mandy Coe; The Portico Young Poetry Prize will be judged by Richy Campbell, Lisa Mansell and Krishan Coupland.

The closing date for both competitions are 31st July.

For more and entry forms head over to the page entitled The Portico Poetry Prizes.

Portico Poetry Prizes 2012.

The library is very excited to announce that we are holding two new poetry prizes; The Portico Young Poetry Prize (Under 18s) and The Portico Poetry Prize (Over 18s).

The prizes are inspired by Carol Ann Duffy’s poem `Havisham’ and are a tribute to the works of Charles Dickens; as such, all poems must be based on, or related to, the works of Dickens. 

The judges are Richy Campbell, Lisa Mansell and Krishan Coupland (Under 18s) and Mandy Coe (Over 18s).

The deadline for both competitions is the 31^st July, for more details contact poetry@theportico.org.uk. 

More to follow, including entry forms, flyers and competition rules.