We were delighted that Levenshulme Old Library was shortlisted at this year’s Manchester Culture Awards, recognised in the Best Event category for Ghosts at the Old Library.
Ghosts at the Old Library is our homegrown winter storytelling project, a celebration of local heritage and imagination rooted in our Edwardian library building. Last year’s edition took the idea of “households” as its theme. We commissioned six writers to create brand new ghost stories inspired by real conversations with Levenshulme residents about their homes – their memories, their histories, their architecture, and the people who shaped them.
These uncanny tales were performed live in the winter-dark of the Old Library, with audiences led around the building by lantern-light. Alongside the performances, the project grew into a podcast, a set of publications, workshops in local schools and an exhibition in our Studio space – all blending literature, local history and community connection in a way that feels uniquely Levenshulme.
Being shortlisted for a Manchester Culture Award is a wonderful recognition of the creativity and care that our community puts into this building and everything that happens inside it. We are so grateful to the writers, artists, partners, volunteers and audiences who bring Ghosts at the Old Library to life each year – and to everyone in Levenshulme who supports our work, turns up, gets involved and generally keeps on believing in what a grassroots arts space can be.
We didn’t come home with a trophy this time, but we are genuinely proud to stand alongside so many brilliant organisations doing remarkable work across the city. Manchester’s cultural world is full of inspiring people, and it’s a privilege to represent Levenshulme in that landscape.
We’ll keep doing what we do best: looking after a beautiful heritage building, creating space for storytelling and connection, and celebrating the rich, imaginative life of our neighbourhood.
Wish us luck for next year – and thank you, as always, for being part of our story.
