Central Library...

Two of Manchester's most important buildings are about to be restored to us after nearly a four year absence. The 1930s local sandstone, Town Hall Extension (on the left of Library Walk) and the Portland Stone, circular Central Library (on the right), and their surroundings, have had a massive amount of work done on them to make them suitable for use in the 21st century. The library will reopen in late March. The library in particular has been missed. They have been restoring it to how it was back in 1938 when it first opened. That will be interesting to see. All the state of the art technology will be carefully hidden so as to not jar with the interior of this beautiful building. Its design was inspired by The Pantheon in Rome. It is an ancient Roman temple to all the gods which was converted into a Christian church so it survives to today. Because of the classical design of the library, people think it's far older than it actually is. If the reports are true, the wonderful, circular reading room at the heart of this building, always a beautiful space, are now stunning. I can't wait to see it all...