# Manchester Central Library - some pictures of the refurbished building.



## farmerbarleymow (Mar 29, 2014)

After spending god knows how long in refurbishing it, they have now re-opened it to the public.  And they've done a damn good job of it too, with lots of the building that was previously inaccessible now open to the public.

I went for a wander today so here are some pictures of the inside.  They've punched a vertical hole basement to ceiling by the edge of the building, and installed new lifts and stairs.  The old and the new work well together in my view, and it makes it looks really light and airy.



























With some vertiginous drops to freak out those scared of heights.


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## farmerbarleymow (Mar 29, 2014)

The old bits are still there, with views I don't think you could see before they did it up.





















The main entrance.






And stained glass window above.


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## farmerbarleymow (Mar 29, 2014)

The old reading room is more or less as was.






But with some nice old books from the collection on display, possibly for the first time.





This is the oldest one in the collection - I think it said 13th Century or something.






More books.














But where the old central desk was, they've inserted a glass floor to let natural light into the new ground floor library.


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## farmerbarleymow (Mar 29, 2014)

Which was very busy, no doubt with lots of people just having a nosy like me.






The skylight from below.


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## farmerbarleymow (Mar 29, 2014)

And what I think is the main lending library extends underneath the street into the Town Hall Extension next door, with good use of skylights again.


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## farmerbarleymow (Mar 29, 2014)

And bizarrely, in the music library they had this on display.  God knows why!


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## Puddy_Tat (Mar 29, 2014)

has any of this work reduced the echo in the reading room?


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## farmerbarleymow (Mar 29, 2014)

It seemed fairly quiet to be honest, so I wonder whether the old stacks that were in there before amplified the echoes?  The test will be what it sounds like when the gawpers have left and it returns to being a functioning library again.


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## purenarcotic (Mar 29, 2014)

Beautiful building, much better than Birmingham Central, which is just a monstrosity.


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## farmerbarleymow (Mar 29, 2014)

purenarcotic said:


> Beautiful building, much better than Birmingham Central, which is just a monstrosity.



I like Birmingham Library, but this one, in my view, is nicer because it was a lovely old building to start with.


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## The Boy (Mar 29, 2014)

The lift is ok though it looks much every other lift in renovated old buildings imo.  The glass bannisters are too much though. 

Good effort though - will have to go for a deek next time in Manchester.


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## equationgirl (Mar 29, 2014)

They have done a good job of the refurbishment. It's very sympathetic to the old building whilst still being modern in it's own right.

Don't like the glass floor bit though.


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## farmerbarleymow (Mar 30, 2014)

The Boy said:


> The lift is ok though it looks much every other lift in renovated old buildings imo.  The glass bannisters are too much though.
> 
> Good effort though - will have to go for a deek next time in Manchester.



I think that if you are doing major renovations like this to a listed building, it looks better to make the new very obvious, but not so that it overpowers the original structure.  I think glass manages this being relatively unobtrusive, and this approach worked when they built an extension to the John Rylands Library across town.  I guess the planners were also heavily constrained by English Heritage in what materials they could use.


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## farmerbarleymow (Mar 30, 2014)

equationgirl said:


> They have done a good job of the refurbishment. It's very sympathetic to the old building whilst still being modern in it's own right.
> 
> Don't like the glass floor bit though.



I love glass floors - the bigger the drop beneath them the better. I imagine the library staff have been given instructions not to walk on that floor wearing skirts or dresses, for obvious reasons.


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## The Boy (Mar 30, 2014)

farmerbarleymow said:


> I think that if you are doing major renovations like this to a listed building, it looks better to make the new very obvious, but not so that it overpowers the original structure.



Agreed, and they've done a good job overall.  It's just a bit too much glass on the stairway imo.  Glass is a very reflective material and too much can be a bit obtrusive.  The rest of the pics look grand.


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## The Boy (Mar 30, 2014)

farmerbarleymow said:


> I love glass floors - the bigger the drop beneath them the better. I imagine the library staff have been given instructions not to walk on that floor wearing skirts or dresses, for obvious reasons.



Used to be a bar/club up here with a glass dance floor.   Though, iirc, it was frosted and you couldn't see through it which kind of defeats the purpose.


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## moose (Apr 2, 2014)

Always amazes me how old it isn't. 
Looks like they've done a grand job.


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## farmerbarleymow (Apr 3, 2014)

moose said:


> Always amazes me how old it isn't.
> Looks like they've done a grand job.



It is weird to think it is just 80 years old isn't it?  I remember seeing the pictures of them building it as it is a steel-framed building so quite deceptive given its appearance.


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## moose (Apr 3, 2014)

Yes - looks like it's always been there!


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## farmerbarleymow (Apr 5, 2014)

I've found some articles in the MEN about it, and didn't know that they restored the Reading Room to how it looked when the library was opened in 1934, which would explain the removal of the stacks.  Obviously the glass display cabinets weren't there 80 years ago, but near enough. 

A total cost of £48m.  Well worth it in my view, despite some moaners who know the cost of everything and the value of nothing.

And it seems Greater Manchester turned 40 the other day.  Apparently there are some 500 licenced premises in the city centre where I live with a capacity for 250,000 pissed up people.  That'll why Black Friday before xmas is so horrendous.


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## Wilf (Apr 6, 2014)

Still got those incredibly uncomfortable chairs in the main reading room I see.


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## susie12 (Apr 6, 2014)

Lovely pictures farmerbarleymow


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## farmerbarleymow (Apr 6, 2014)

Wilf said:


> Still got those incredibly uncomfortable chairs in the main reading room I see.



If it is meant to be as it looked when it was opened, then 1934 must have been a very uncomfortable year.


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