Central Public Library

The Central Public Library in Manchester is a public library built between 1930 and 1934 by architect Vincent Harris. It is constructed from Portland stone and features a slate roof with a concealed glazed lantern light. The building has a circular plan with a rectangular portico on the east side and is designed in a classical style. It consists of four storeys, including a basement and attic, surrounding a large central reading room. The exterior includes a chamfered plinth and rusticated masonry on the ground and first floors, adorned with a Greek-key frieze. A continuous Tuscan colonnaded screen is present on the set-back second and third floors, topped with a plain frieze, cornice, and a parapet that conceals a low set-back attic storey.

The east side facing the square features a rectangular two-storey projection with a central five-bay portico supported by giant Corinthian columns in a tetrastyle arrangement, with round-headed arches at the ends and an entablature with a dentilled cornice. The ground floor is characterized by tall round-headed windows with keystones, while the first floor has tall square-headed windows, and the second and third floors have smaller rectangular windows, all fitted with metal-framed small-paned glazing. Inside, the library boasts a domed circular reading room surrounded by a giant Tuscan colonnade.