The Special Collection of Henry Watson
The Royal Northern College of Music have been awarded £50k from The National Archives: Archives Revealed cataloguing fund for an 18 month project.
The project will result in uncatalogued stock from the Henry Watson Music Library material at Central Library being catalogued with an exciting programme of events and engagement activities.
The Henry Watson Special Collection is one of Manchester’s most significant music history resources, containing a rare and richly detailed record of the city’s musical life from the 19th and 20th centuries. Founded in 1902 by musician and educator Henry Watson as a free public lending library, it became part of Central Library in 1934 and has since grown into a vital repository of programmes, photographs, manuscripts, correspondence and archival material relating to Manchester’s performers, venues and musical societies. The collection also holds unique records from musical societies dating back over 250 years. The project will reveal underexplored collections of more than two centuries of music programmes, minute books from some of the city’s oldest musical societies, and unique manuscripts from several of its musical pioneers. The grant will enable us to uncover and share underexplored stories of some of Manchester’s musical societies, concert series, and notable individuals.
The Henry Watson Music Library is a core partner in Connecting Manchester’s Music Archives (CMMA), along with the RNCM, MDMArchive and Hallé Concerts Society. It’s contents are essential for telling the full story of the city’s musical heritage. Community interest in Manchester’s cultural history continues to grow, and CMMA’s work with local groups has demonstrated strong public appetite for music-led heritage engagement, wellbeing activity and place‑based storytelling.
By creating an accessible catalogue, developing inclusive public programmes and preparing for the 2034 centenary of the collection’s gifting to the city, the project will secure the long‑term sustainability of the Special Collection and enable it to fulfil Henry Watson’s original intention: to inspire learning, research and creativity for the benefit of Manchester’s communities, students, musicians and visitors.
The funding will also be used to increase public engagement with Manchester’s musical heritage, and contribute to the city’s “Always, Everyone, Everywhere” cultural strategy, with a range of events relating to the collection sue to take place in 2026 and 2027.
Councillor John Hacking, Executive Member for Skills, Employment and Leisure, says:
“We are very excited by this Archives Revealed grant funded project. The Henry Watson Music Library at Central Library is a jewel in the crown of libraries in Manchester and we’re excited that this funding will enable us to share stories from the collections and increase the number of events held in the library. I’d like to thank the RNCM for administering the Connecting Manchester’s Music Archives and leading this project for us.”
The Archives Revealed programme is funded by The National Lottery Heritage Fund, the Pilgrim Trust, the Wolfson Foundation and The National Archives.
