Reawakening The WCML
The project redefines the Working Class Movement Library in Salford, focusing on the protection and future accessibility of its most valuable asset: the vast collection of working-class artefacts gathered by the Frows, the library’s founders. The proposal responds to a wider social shift away from physical engagement with shared working-class history, identity, and collective memory.
The client, the current WCML staff, identified the need for urgent structural intervention, expanded archive and collection space, improved accessibility, and a dedicated events venue. A café is also introduced to support visitors, public programmes, and hosted guest events.
The design uses an adaptive reuse approach. Within the existing building, the cellular corridor layout is replaced with a more cohesive arrangement organised around the preserved structural core and staircase. A new L-shaped extension occupies the western side of the site, forming a shared courtyard and capturing clear southern light. Revised entrances address longstanding accessibility issues, while reduced perimeter walls improve visibility and create a more welcoming public presence.
Materiality and form are informed by Salford and Manchester’s industrial past, alongside contemporary expectations for lower environmental impact. Gabled volumes, reclaimed materials, and mass timber construction help connect the scheme to local heritage while supporting a more sustainable approach to construction and long-term use.
One of the key design challenges was balancing the need for expanded collection storage with a visually light intervention that would not compete with the listed buildings along The Crescent. The solution is a dramatic subterranean gallery, marked above ground by a single central skylight. This allows the accessible collection to be protected below ground while maintaining a respectful relationship with the scale, rhythm, and historic setting of the existing buildings.
Connect with Harry
Email: h.wint.963@gmail.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/harry-winterbottom-a5b4a5206/