The Portico Library
Opening Hours
About
A historic library in a listed Victorian building, accessed via stairs, with a striking interior featuring an ornate ceiling and shelves of antique books. The space hosts exhibitions, including displays for Black History Month, alongside its permanent collection. Visitors can take tea, coffee and cake in the main library room, or try the soup and lunch options. The building retains much of its original architecture, with a single large reading room that dates to the late 1800s. Staff provide information about the library’s history and current displays.
Customer Reviews
A friend invited me to the annual Christmas Feast at The Portico and it was a wonderful evening! A beautiful setting for dinner, the food was delicious (and perfectly accommodating to my dietary requirements) and we loved the festive music performance afterwards. The team were so friendly and many of the attendees were members who obviously have a lot of love for this place, it made for such a nice atmosphere. They often have evening events scheduled - book launches, exhibition launches, and dining events like this. I would highly recommend keeping an eye out for future events, it adds something different compared to a casual daytime visit.
What an incredibly strange place! The staff are great and nice but this place isn't for the public as much as they adamantly say so. Small place and much of the sitting and rest areas are reserved for members. The public doesn't have anything to do besides take a look around for 5 minutes. I would say either 1) make it quite accessible for the public or 2) make it members only. This - being in two places at once - isn't cutting it at all.
Michelle at reception was very welcoming, explaining a bit of history about the building and the current exhibition. She highlighted the black history month appreciation exhibits which was also really nice! I will come back again and hope reuniting Portico can become a reality.
