This is a sneak preview of the multi-million pound transformation of Manchester’s historic Central Library.
The city-centre landmark appears as never before – with three floors torn out as workmen carry out a three-year, £170m refurbishment and restoration programme.
The ambitious project, due for completion in 2013, will open up the historic gem and expose parts of the building, opened by George V in 1934, that have been hidden from public view for years.
The M.E.N. was allowed exclusive access behind the hoardings and can today show how the inner core of the domed building, which contained the iconic reading room and two floors of stacks, has been pulled out from the ground floor up.
It will be replaced with just two floors – a restored reading room and a spacious new ground floor which will house a cafe, an amphitheatre-style performance area, exhibition and research space, archives and digital pods.
Historic features – including the marble-look columns around the reading room perimeter – have been boarded up for preservation while work is carried out.
A million books have been sent into underground storage in the Cheshire salt mines.
When the library re-opens, it will include two new glass lifts on its eastern side, making all four floors accessible to the public.
The 60m diameter Shakespeare Hall on the ground floor, which has been closed off beyond the front entrance, will open as a centre of excellence for archive storage.
The library will be ‘seamlessly’ linked to the town hall extension, which is also undergoing major refurbishment, allowing it to expand at lower ground level.
The revamp is the work of Ryder Architecture, with 100 workers are on site at any one time.
Neil MacInnes, Manchester council’s head of libraries, said: "Until now 70 per cent of the building has been behind the scenes, but this will reverse that.
"It will make the library a destination. When people step inside they will get that ‘wow factor’ from the sense of space we are creating. One of the big problems has been circulation within the building – people just went to their bit.
"This will really change that and allow better access to all floors with views through the whole building. All the historic features are being retained and restored. We have also been clearing certain areas as part of the work and discovering new features and finding that some of the beauty of the library has been hidden for years."
Mike Amesbury, Manchester council’s executive member for culture and leisure, said: "Central Library is one of the jewels in Manchester’s crown and when it reopens it will shine even brighter. The painstaking work which is going on at the moment will improve access to the library’s outstanding collections, improve access to the building itself and introduce state-of-the-art facilities while lovingly preserving the building’s historic features. I think when it reopens residents will agree that it’s something very special."
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The 'Performance Area' should be a laugh. Some medieval style folk ensemble playing in period dress while librarians walk by going, 'Shhhhh.'
Still, as long as you can actually go in & just read books (and so long as they don't actually have less books in there than they had before) then it should be alright.
As a council tax payer I'd have rather they just gave the old place a new coat of paint as opposed to spending all this money we haven't got on adding that 'wow factor' But they're doing it now, might as well do it right.
Could this not have waited a few years until the economy is sorted out? You don't have your garden landscaped if your roof is leaking,do you?
Oh yes,it has been 'budgeted' for so that makes it OK then!
i wish that place was my house! nice and round : )
and yet services and jobs are being cut...
i support libraries but 170m quid should be going elsewhere.
What an absolute disgrace to be spending so much money on a library.
When was the last time you saw people queing up to get in a library.
why aren't we spending money on some thing that people will use.
with that amount of money we could be supporting the homeless or providing the sure-start programme with support for the next 10 years instead.
Has nobody realised that with the digital age you can download all these so-called books and stuff for free then we can turn the library into a great big indoor water-park or something that we can all use.
my favourite book a a child was farenheight 451.....that was about burning books....and that should happen now....absolute waste of money....books and libraries.....pah
Dont need a 'wow' facor - just need to access the books.
I suspect most of the stuff wont make it back from storage - nowhere to put it now.
Another 'transformational improvement' (lmao) from MCC. glad the mugs of Manchester are forking out for this not me.
I did all my work for 'O' and 'A'Levels in that Reading Room more than 40 years ago. Thousands of other Mancunians will have done this also. Breaks from study were spent in the cafe chatting up the talent from other 6th Forms. What a great introduction to city life it was--what a superb building to fire the imagination and what truly great civic provision for research it was ans will be again.
Readers who think this re-furb. a waste of money exhibit a tragic lack of understanding of what public expenditure should be about.
Well thats alright then ONLY £170 000 000. Lets have two. Every penny well spent as I am sure that everyone in Manchester will agree.
I agree about class & culture, but good grief, is this money not needed for something more important ?
Every day we read about cuts to services, both locally & nationally & then £170 million is found to revamp the library.
Surely some of this money could be better spent elsewhere ?
Hospitals
Childrens services
Homeless people
The unemployed
Education
Pensioners
Utd fans
There are many charity cases where this money could make a real & lasting difference