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Didsbury Branch

1908-1977

Scope and contents

Fletcher Moss, Alderman of Didsbury, was passionate about the provision of a library for the Didsbury area and pursued a campaign to establish a permanent library building in Didsbury. He approached Andrew Carnegie a philanthropist who believed passionately in free libraries. However Withington Township would not adopt the Libraries Act of 1892 and would not provide the free library required to obtain the funding from Mr Carnegie. In 1904 Withington was incorporated into the Corporation of Manchester and they were obliged to provide two libraries in the township within ten years. As a temporary measure the Didsbury Literary Institute subscription library was handed over to the Corporation on 5 Dec 1905 by Mrs Smith founder of Didsbury Institute. The library operated in a rented the room above the Lad's Club. A site for a permanent was given in the centre of the town and a library in the Gothic Style was built on the site. This building was opened on 15 May 1915. In 1964 the library had a reorganisation changing the reading room to a children's library and the juvenile room to the reference library. The Didsbury branch library is still operating today from its original premises at 692 Wilmslow Road [2006].