Ground-breaking research funded by the National Heritage Lottery Fund pinpoints Manchester’s historic Portico Library and Newsroom as influential in the city’s connections to the transatlantic slave trade economy.

New research by Manchester’s Global Threads team, published by The Portico Library, traces the library’s foundation in 1802 as an exclusive members’ Library to profits and individuals linked to the city’s underacknowledged history connected to the transatlantic slave trade.

Researchers Jeevan Kaur Sanghera and Ella Sinclair have discovered never-before-seen connections between the institution and histories of enslavement, exploitation, and the resistance of enslaved people in the Caribbean, embedding the story of this nineteenth-century institution in contemporary discussions for reparative justice.

Manchester’s historic Portico Library counted among its list of influential members former Prime Minister Robert Peel, Sir George Philips, a financier of the Manchester Guardian (now the Guardian), alongside others from Manchester’s male elite. Using cutting-edge research techniques to produce seven case studies, the research team have traced direct links between the Portico’s prominent members to transatlantic slavery and colonial economies across the globe – from Haiti, to Jamaica, Grenada, St. Lucia, the United States, and beyond.

The research tells a transatlantic history of the Portico Library – and Manchester – stretching its limits beyond the boundaries of the city, connecting its history to the enslaved people and communities directly impacted by Britain’s transatlantic slave trade and colonial pursuits. By bringing these human experiences to the forefront the research provides crucial context for ongoing reparative justice agendas.

Marking the International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade, on 23 August free physical copies of the research will be made available at a pop-up exhibition at the Portico Library, and made available online via The Portico Library and Global Threads.

Dr Thom Keep, CEO of The Portico Library says, “This research not only helps to recover the lost connections to enslavement the Portico Library was built from, it also helps us understand Manchester’s past in a different way – helping us to imagine a future inspired by previously silenced voices and histories. We want to put these new research findings at the service of visitors and community members for reflection, and response, informing how they can help shape the future of the institution.”

Jeevan Kaur Sanghera, Global Threads researcher says, “This research offers both an example and a foundation for meaningful engagement with the historic and ongoing impacts of Britain’s involvement in transatlantic slavery and colonialism, and their lasting effects on enslaved and colonised peoples and their descendants. These legacies and histories live on in our communities and in the physical spaces where we live, work, and learn. Institutions shaped by these histories have a responsibility to confront them with honesty and accountability to advance restorative justice and a more equitable future.”

Ella Sinclair, Global Threads researcher says, “Engaging with these hidden histories of transatlantic slavery and colonialism is critical work in order for us to better inherit these histories and move forward collectively. The research we have conducted into the historical foundations of the Portico Library sets an exciting precedent for other institutions with uncomfortable pasts wanting to kickstart their own restorative journeys.”

This research draws on and builds on findings from wider research delivered in Manchester, including the Guardian’s Legacies of Enslavement research, and a major exhibition at Manchester Art Gallery from artist Holly Graham, as covered by the Guardian.

This research was commissioned as part of the Portico Reunited project, funded by the National Heritage Lottery Fund. The research was supported by Portico Library Activity Planner, Antonia Canal and Dr Matthew Stallard from UCL’s Centre for the Study of the Legacies of British Slavery and Global Threads co-lead, and the wider team of Portico staff and volunteers. Infographics by artist / illustrator Alison Erika Forde.