• Windrush Generations Manchester Voices Exhibition

    Archives+ Ground Floor

    Windrush Generations Manchester Voices is a digital exhibition, on the ground floor of Central Library in Archives+, that focuses on the personal histories and stories of 1st, 2nd and 3rd generation African Caribbeans in Manchester. Discover personal perspectives on: struggles and achievements art and activism the history and legacy of immigration #BlackHistoryMonth Free - please […]

  • Louis Kossuth Commemoration

    Archives+ Ground Floor

    THIS EVENT IS NOW CANCELLED An event to celebrate the 172nd anniversary of the 1848 Hungarian Revolution, organised by the Hungarian English Cultural Society, including the official opening of the exhibition, ‘Louis Kossuth (1802-1894): Hungarian Statesman, Freedom Fighter, Exile and His Impact on Britain’ which runs from 21 March to Friday 27 March Free – […]

  • Manchester’s Lost District

    Archives+ Ground Floor

    A exhibition of many previously unseen photographs of the area now covered by the Manchester Arndale. They include the pubs, clubs, chapels and many shops and businesses swept away to build the shopping centre. From the book 'Manchester's Lost District' by Keith Warrender. Free - please drop in

  • Addison Act 100: Exhibition Launch

    Archives+ Ground Floor

    In 1919 the ‘Addison Act’ was passed by Parliament. This Housing Act helped local authorities to build social housing after World War One and guided policy for the country’s housing sector for most of the 20th century. Join us for the launch of this exhibition exploring its impact on Manchester. Free - please drop in

  • Reading faces and hands: The science of speechreading and sign language

    Archives+ Ground Floor

    Join us for a free event exploring how language is more than just what we hear. Seeing the face of someone talking helps us understand what they are saying. Signed languages, such as British Sign Language (BSL), use hand and body movements to ‘say’ anything that can be expressed in spoken language. Take part in […]

  • Women of Aktion

    Archives+ Ground Floor

    An exhibition sharing the story of the German Revolution 1918 and reclaiming the voices of the female revolutionaries who have, until now, been hidden from the official narrative. In November 1918, Germany erupted with a revolution which led to the establishment of the first democracy on German soil, the end of oppressive censorship, and the […]

  • Bobbins: Frank Sidebottom and Chris Sievey

    Archives+ Ground Floor

    A fantastic multimedia exhibition dedicated to Manchester's most unique artist. Containing the cream of the Frank Sidebottom/Chris Sievey archive, as featured in the new documentary Being Frank: The Chris Sievey Story. Expect art, video, audio and bobbins puppets. Fun for the whole family. You know it is, it really is. Photo credit: Dave Arnold Free […]

  • Sefton Samuels: Musical Portraits

    Archives+ Ground Floor

    Sefton Samuels is one of Britain's most iconic photographers. Join him for a very special signing session of his classical and jazz books, and an opportunity to view some of his incredible work held as part of the Library's Documentary Photography Archive (DPA). Free - please drop in

  • The Empire Windrush – 70th Anniversary

    Archives+ Ground Floor

    Empire Windrush is best remembered today for bringing one of the first large groups of post-war West Indian immigrants to the United Kingdom in 1948. To celebrate the 70th anniversary we exhibit and share material from collections in the AIU Race Relations Resource Centre and Manchester City Council Archives. Free - please drop in

  • Abel Heywood, Manchester’s Radical Mayor

    Archives+ Ground Floor

    Meet author Joanna Williams, whose book Abel Heywood, the Man who Built the Town Hall, was published by the History Press on 1 September 2017. Abel Heywood (1810-93), Mayor of Manchester, as chair of the New Town Hall Committee was the leading light behind the construction of the 'municipal palace' in Albert Square.  Rising from severe poverty, he […]

  • Hidden Histories, Hidden Historians

    Archives+ Ground Floor

    Manchester Histories presents Hidden Histories, Hidden Historians, a Heritage Lottery Fund supported exhibition. Five groups from across Greater Manchester have explored their own hidden histories to create a multi-media exhibition that includes archive photography, historical research, video and oral histories. Free - just drop in