The Portico Library

The Portico Library
The Portico Library in 2011
Location within Greater Manchester
General information
Location	Mosley Street, Manchester, England
Coordinates	53°28′47″N 2°14′25″W
Year built	1802–1806
Design and construction
Designations
Listed Building – Grade II*
Official name	The Portico Library and The Bank public house
Designated	25 February 1952
Reference no.	1197930
Website
www.theportico.org.uk

The Portico Library (also known as The Portico or Portico Library and Gallery) on Mosley Street in Manchester city centre, England, is an independent subscription library designed in the Greek Revival style by Thomas Harrison of Chester and built between 1802 and 1806. It is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a Grade II* listed building, having been designated on 25 February 1952, and has been described as "the most refined little building in Manchester". Founded by local businessmen as a newsroom‑and‑library institution, it opened in 1806 and quickly became a centre of literary and intellectual life in the city; its first secretary, Peter Mark Roget, began work on his thesaurus there. Today it continues to operate as an independent library and cultural venue, with its historic collection housed on the upper floors and the ground floor occupied by The Bank public house.