I have never been to the Portico Library ever, despite living in Manchester for more years that I dare to mention. I can’t remember the first time I realized that it existed, but I think it would have been when I was in my 20s, because I worked in Manchester then, and spent quite a bit of time walking about.

Before leaving home I never really ventured into Manchester, as Stockport centre was the nearest place for whatever I needed, and I didn’t really need a lot.

It’s a beautiful place to be in, and the ceiling is wonderful, though when I looked at it on Google Maps, I did wonder what was going on. I always thought that it was in the basement, but when I saw pictures of the interior it was obvious that it has an impressive glass ceiling. However when you look on Google Maps, it’s obvious that there’s nothing in the area with a round roof with ornate windows. But after looking at it a little, the roof is covered by another rectangular roof. It appears to be above a pub that is housed in a neoclassical building which is a pair of buildings, the other being the art gallery in Manchester just down from the pub on Mosley Street.

The pub is called The Bank and it’s unclear what the pub used to be. From the pub owners website it appears that the whole building might have been the library, but I somehow doubt it, so I suspect it might be some sort of newspaper. There was a bank on Mosley Street, which was the Manchester and Salford Bank, but that was not here by the sounds of it.

The only other information I have is about the architect, which was Charles Barry. You may have heard of some of his work. He designed Elizabeth Tower which of course no-one has heard of, so Ill just call it Big Ben. Even though Big Ben is the bell and not the tower. I am sure you have heard of it now.