A masterclass on Chinese calligraphy with an expert artist from China, presented in partnership with the Manchester Chinese Centre.
The Portico Library is delighted to welcome Jill Liddington to ask why was the Lancashire story for votes for women so well-known and the equally dramatic Yorkshire story neglected for so long?
Brown Wimpenny are an 11-piece experimental traditional folk band from South Manchester. who are going to weave their mix of traditional and experimental folk music under the dome of the Portico.
Echoes invites audiences to engage with the collection of the Portico Library and the communities who are reclaiming the colonial narrative written and illustrated in the Library's books.
Leading psychologist and wellbeing expert, Lee Chambers shares his thirteen essential tools to help you unlock your potential.
Barry Clark explores William Morris's deep and long relationship with Manchester through Morris' art, commercial activity and politics.
Celebrate the Lunar New Year in with a Lion Dance cavorting amongst the books.
An introductory workshop for beginners to bookbinding.
Join us for an early Valentine's treat with folklore and tradition expert Dr Ceri Houlbrook, who shares her research on love-locks.
Live music, visuals & talks for a sensory exploration of the Portico with John Haycock (Kora, Clarinet + electronics) DBH (Fiddle, guitar) with support from 'Magpahi' Alison Cooper (voice, electronics)
Join the Portico Kitchen team for a series of unique dining experiences in one of the city’s most extraordinary settings.
How did Kate Greenway’s art reach and move generations of children? How do named literary prizes influence book sales and the publishing trade? Why does it seem that historical women are erased more often than men? This talk by historian and librarian, Dr Rose Roberto, will answer these questions.
Create a green eco friendly book from scratch.
Make your own journal for going away to keep tickets, postcards etc in through traditional techniques.
We will make an A6 crossed structure notebook - a non-adhesive binding developed by Carmencho Arregui.
We will make a proper hardback book with a difference!
Folklore lecturer and creative writer Dr Ceri Houlbrook discusses the archival research that went into her debut novel Winter's Wishfall.
Join us for a festive folk sing around under the library dome with its magnificent acoustics.
Candlelit (style) carol concert of traditional favourites & unknown medieval gems from around Europe.
Join us for an evening of Gothic Reading with a Lancashire lens. All texts provided to read beforehand.
The Portico Christmas Feast returns!
Join us for our ever-popular yearly shindig of eating, entertainment, and merrymaking.
Oliver has written poetry for film and television and in 2019 released his first spoken word single described by Tom Robinson (BBC 6 Music) as ‘An unholy hybrid of John Cooper Clarke and Mark E Smith.’
Come in. Sit down. Explore.
The Unbuilt Room is part-performance, part-game... an interactive journey where places create memories — and memories create places.
Explore the Romans and Romanians on Hadrian's Wall in an interactive workshop with curator and writer Bronwen Riley.
A relaxed creative writing two-hour workshop, led by writer and producer of our new exhibition ‘Voices from the Wall’, Bronwen Riley.
The art of bookbinding and how it becomes an art of belonging through natural materials, the environment and symbols.
Get a taste of a brand new book on the University of Manchester and hear more about the interaction between the University and the city.
Join writer and manager of the Portico Kitchen, Joe Fenn, to explore the rich and expanding world of food writing.
Free, drop in. No need to book
Come join us at the Portico Library to participate in our latest exhibition and experiment Under Construction, the Portico Experiment.
This exhibition also features an interactive display Voices from the Wall, curated and created by Bronwen Riley, project curator/creator.
Voices from the Wall explores shared histories and experiences between Britain and Romania, which began nearly two millennia ago with the building of Hadrian’s Wall and continues today.
History Lab Plus invites you to a curated evening of speed presentations and performances from specially invited guests.
A new interactive exhibition and innovative creative-writing project, Voices from the Wall, explores shared histories and experiences between Britain and Romania, which began nearly two millennia ago with the building of Hadrian’s Wall and continues today.
Celebrate the last day of the Weird as Folk Exhibition in style with a panel discussion and then a play out of folk and protest music.
Join the Portico Kitchen team for a series of unique dining experiences in one of the city’s most extraordinary settings.
Come and draw and fearsome vampire then make a remedy to keep them away.
Join us at the Portico for a fun evening of painting and political discussions, amplifying voices that are often overlooked in Parliament!
A rare chance to hear the suspenseful horror of M R James told by a consummate storyteller in the perfect space for stories.
Come and learn more about the Third Space Project and an afternoon of poetry readings by South Asian poets.
What's in walls, chimneys and hearths? Dr Ceri Houlbrook examines protective objects and beliefs around them.
Join writer and manager of the Portico Kitchen, Joe Fenn, to explore the rich and expanding world of food writing.
Some of the authors present their new book on The Simons of Manchester - the history of one of Manchester's most influential families.
Join us online as we read and discuss Anne Bronte's classic but overlooked novel volume by volume.
Explore the richness of corvid folklore across cultures and how humans relate personally and connect with the mythology of the Crow in the Portico Library collection as a response to the current Weird As Folk exhibition.
Carol Ann Whitehead, Portico Public Programme Chair, invites Leah Moore and John Reppion to the Portico for a fireside chat on comics & folk.
Inspired by Taskmaster we invite you to undertake fiendish tasks in a gorgeous 19th Century library.
Mark and David bring their singing, songwriting, strumming, and swigging buddies from the badlands of the Cheshire Plain to the Portico.
Join us for a series of immersive Folk Life Drawing Workshops, inspired by our exhibition, Weird As Folk. These sessions curated by HappeningInMCR will feature artist, Lucy Wright’s wearable folk art.
