Manchester’s Portico Library has secured £6.4 million from The National Lottery Heritage Fund to deliver Portico Reunited, bringing its Grade II* listed building back together for first time in a century and creating new spaces for reading, creativity, discovery and learning that are open to everyone.

The award is a major milestone in the approximately £12 million Portico Reunited campaign. Made possible by National Lottery players, the project will bring the ground floor and basement back into library use and introduce step free access throughout. People will be able to discover Northern writers and publishers in a new bookshop – the first of its kind; explore Manchester’s food culture in the Portico Kitchen; and enjoy exhibitions, conversations and creative activities inside the historic library. Entry to the library will remain free.

As the project enters its next phase thanks to this investment, fundraising continues in earnest to complete the transformation and support the Portico’s work before, during and after construction. Individuals, businesses and charitable supporters will play a vital role in helping raise the remaining match funding for the project.

Founded in 1806, the Portico is a remarkable survivor of industrial Manchester, with its collection and archive preserved in their original Greek Revival home. Established as a subscription library and newsroom before Manchester had a free public library, it offered its members books, newspapers and periodicals for learning, pleasure, and debate. Membership reflected the inequalities of the period; today, its collection offers an extraordinary record of the ideas that shaped the city and the nation.

The Portico already welcomes the public six days a week, but stairs limit access and the library occupies only the first floor. A reinstated, step-free Mosley Street entrance will welcome people into the reunited building, opening new ways to experience its spaces and collection. At its heart will be the historic collection of 25,000 books and archive material. From novels and poetry to science, travel, history and maps, the shelves preserve the reading lives of generations of Portico members and Manchester’s changing relationship with the wider world. The project will protect this collection and create new opportunities to explore it through school visits, creative workshops, research and exhibitions.

Members, volunteers, schools, community organisations, artists and project partners will help shape what happens in the reunited library. Their exhibitions and activities will connect the collection with people’s lives today, exploring both the voices preserved on its shelves and those missing from them. Through Manchester’s literary and global connections, including histories of empire, enslavement, migration and resistance, the programme builds relationships between people, books, and storytelling to both acknowledge the legacies of trauma and loss from the past and find joy in stories of transformation and love. People and their stories will be at the heart of the Portico’s work with historic books and activities in the building.

Dr Thom Keep, Librarian and CEO of The Portico Library, said: “This is a landmark moment in the Portico’s rich and complex history, and a huge achievement for our staff, trustees, volunteers, and partners. Their imagination, care and persistence have brought us to this point. Thanks to National Lottery players, we can reunite this extraordinary building and make room for people to discover, learn and create together.

“We have listened to thousands of people about what the Portico could become, and their ideas and experiences have helped shape these plans. Our ambition is a library that belongs to the whole city: a place to discover remarkable collections, question the stories we have inherited, and create new possibilities together.

“Books and stories help us see the world through other people’s eyes, building understanding and empathy. Whether you come to read, share food, join a conversation or simply enjoy a moment of calm, we want you to feel that the Portico is yours too.”

Purcell’s architectural plans will conserve the building’s distinctive character while making it easier for people to enter, move around and enjoy. Alongside urgent repairs and restoration of the historic interiors and glazed dome, the plans include a lift, a Changing Places toilet and a quiet room. The Portico LightBox, a new architectural feature, will connect the ground floor, first floor and dome.

Low carbon heating and environmental improvements will set the building on a path towards a net zero carbon future, helping address the impact of a changing climate on its historic fabric and delicate collections.

Lucy Powell, Secretary of State for Education and MP for Manchester Central, said: “For more than two centuries, the Portico Library has stood at the heart of Manchester as a home for books, learning and new ideas. This support from The National Lottery Heritage Fund represents a once-in-a-generation opportunity to reunite one of our city’s great historic buildings, open it fully to everyone and secure its remarkable collections for the future.

“I have been proud to champion Portico Reunited and pay tribute to the staff, trustees, volunteers and partners whose extraordinary ambition and persistence have brought the project to this point.”

Helen Featherstone, Director, England, North at The National Lottery Heritage Fund, said: “Standing proud in Manchester’s city centre, the Portico is an architectural gem. We are thrilled to be supporting this exciting next chapter, which builds on its 220-year strong heritage, to ensure the Portico is fit to face the challenges of the 21st Century.

“This transformational project is made possible thanks to money raised by National Lottery players; it will cement the Portico as a must-visit destination in Manchester’s cultural offer and preserve its nationally significant collection that will continue to inspire generations to come.”

Susie Diggines, Chair of Trustees of the Portico Library, said: “Today is a historic marker for the delivery of the Portico Reunited Project which will ensure a landmark institution is transformed into a heritage centre delivering exhibitions, research facilities for books and archives – continuance of the oldest lunch venue in Manchester. Crucially, it will ignite opportunities for Northern writers, readers, thinkers and creators for generations to come. “Our sincere thanks to The National Lottery Heritage Fund. We look forward to welcoming all to a Portico Library and Newsroom that represents the best of Manchester’s past and future.”

Manchester City Council has granted planning permission and listed building consent. The building is expected to close for construction in late spring 2028 and open in early March 2030. Until then, the Portico will continue to welcome visitors through its ongoing programme. During construction, its work will continue through Porti-Go!, bringing collections, conversations and creative activities into temporary spaces, community settings and online. Following reopening, the transformed library is expected to welcome around 95,000 visitors each year.