Music in Manchester Libraries

Manchester has a long history of music.  Our libraries are places for music to be shared, created, researched and treasured.  

All our libraries have books about music and there are great examples of where our libraries are also used to nurture musicians of the future. 

• Henry Watson Music Library at Central Library 

• Wythenshawe Forum Library Creative Space 

• Olympias Music Foundation use of Longsight Library 

• Henry Watson Music Library at Central Library 

Manchester Libraries has secured two significant external funding awards for the Henry Watson Music Library at Manchester Central Library. Arts Council England has awarded £52,942 through the Libraries Improvement Fund, supported by match funding from Manchester Libraries Trust, to improve the space as a heritage and creative public facility. In parallel, a partnership project with the Royal Northern College of Music has secured £50,000 from The National Archives’ Archives Revealed fund for an 18 month project focussed completely on cataloguing the Henry Watson Special Collection and a public engagement programme in the Henry Watson Music Library.   

As a result of this funding, we will: 

• A digital sound recording booth to support music creation, recording and live performance capture. 

• Improved heritage display and interpretation, including better presentation of instruments and collections. 

• More flexible furniture to support workshops, performances, community activity and learning. 

• Cataloguing of previously uncatalogued Henry Watson material to improve access, interpretation and public engagement. 

Together, these projects strengthen one of Manchester Libraries’ most distinctive offers. They improve both the physical space and access to the collections, helping preserve musical heritage while broadening opportunities for creativity, learning and participation. 

The investment will benefit residents, students, musicians, performers and visitors by creating better opportunities to engage with Manchester’s musical heritage and to use high-quality creative facilities in the city centre. 

The funding builds on the growing use of the Henry Watson Music Library for performances, talks and public events. The RNCM partnership will also help uncover and share more of Manchester’s musical history through cataloguing, interpretation and engagement activity during 2026 and 2027. 

• This is a strong example of external funding and partnership working delivering added value for Manchester Libraries. 

• It supports both heritage preservation and modern creative use of library spaces. 

• It provides a positive story about culture, access and opportunity in Manchester. 

In recent months, we have developed a programme of events in Henry Watson Music Library 

This includes a litany of free and affordable events for public including: a monthly Lunchtime Library Choir session, Ukulele Workshops, Electronic DJ & Music Production Workshops, Vinyl DJ Workshops, live bands, lunchtime concerts, musical storytimes, inter-generational music making sessions, choir concerts, indie gigs, author Q&A events, theatre shows, on recognised acts like The Smiths, Led Zeppelin, The Jam and more; plus the recent “Punk Day” celebrations, which marked the 50th Anniversary of the Sex Pistols’ iconic show at Lesser Free Trade Hall.

Wythenshawe Forum Library Creative Space 

In 2024 we received £198k from Arts Council England to develop a creative space on the upper floor of Forum Library in Wythenshawe.  The creative space was launched in October 2024. 

As part of its programme it offers hands-on opportunities in music production, DJing, podcasting, songwriting and live performance, alongside access to professional-quality facilities and industry-led workshops. Young people can develop creative and technical skills, collaborate with other musicians and gain valuable performance experience.

We work in partnership with community organisations in Wythenshawe including Music Evermore, Brighter Sounds, The project was nationally recognised last year, winning the Libraries Connected Culture & Creativity award, and also won Manchester Culture award event of the year for the Liveinshawe event. 

Some of the amazing opportunities offered by the Forum of late have included free weekly DJ/Rap/Lyric Writing sessions to 11-18 year olds every Tuesday evening in partnership with Expressive Artz, Amplify Sessions on Wednesdays in partnership with Brighter Sound, a fashion show organised in partnership with Pioneer House, a fiercely contended Battle of the Bands competition from our Rock School (featuring 8 incredible young acts, an inspiring panel of judges including a keen supporter of the Creative Space Manchester legend, Rowetta ), and more. Read about them in greater detail here.

Olympias Music Foundation 

A more recent partnership has been developed with Olympias Music Foundation who deliver free music education to families. On 3 nights per week (5 nights from September) you can hear gentle background music throughout the building as tutors of many different instruments deliver 1-1 sessions to young people of all ages. They currently have spaces for some sessions, and can be applied online http://olympiasmusic.com/apply    

Pictured – Events at Henry Watson Music Library:

Pictured – Events at Wythenshawe Forum: