Charlotte Street, Manchester City Centre. The entrance is not exactly what you’d call grand. A black double door and a sign above, in capital bronze letters:

PORTICO LIBRARY, FOUNDED 1806

A notice-board on its left informs me that the Portico Library and Gallery “celebrates both the historic and contemporary culture in Manchester”. There’s also a motto: “Volumes of culture” – not bad. I can see a blue plaque on the top right of the door, listing the names of the architect of the building and some of the readers of the institution.

Well, they’re surely trying very hard to draw attention to themselves… I can understand this, the location is not great after all – this is only a secondary road, the main entrance of the building is on Mosley Road: its facade is a tetrastyle ionic temple built in local limestone, bless them… Unfortunately it doesn’t lead to a…