King Street Site

By 1877 the Campfield building was unsafe and therefore the books were moved the rooms in the Town Hall, King Street. This building along with some vacant land was formally handed over to the Libraries Committee in 1884. From 1877 to 1912 the old Town Hall housed the Reference Library. The Lending Library which was formed part of the overall service provided at the Campfield site could not be operated from the King Street Building due to a lack of suitable accommodation. The service was instead partially provided by branch libraries including one erected on Deansgate [see M740/9/18 for records of Deansgate Branch].

The Reference Library itself soon grew beyond the space available at the King Street site. The building was also sold under terms which meant that it must be handed over in 1912. Still without a permanent home, the Reference Library moved to buildings at Piccadilly in that year.

Related Material:See also:

M740/2/8/1/52 and M740/2/8/1/48 for Chief Librarian's files on King Street, and M740/1/5 for Chief Library sub-committees

For prominent visitors book 1857-2007 (M740/8/4/4/2), see Archivist

See M740/2/15/58 for plans of proposed alterations

M270/9/44/1-2: Invitation to Jubilee Celebrations, 1903, and newspaper cutting regarding King Street site, 1934