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Salford Museum and Art Gallery, in Peel Park, opened to the public in November 1850 as the Royal Museum and Public Library, was the first "unconditionally free" public library in the United Kingdom Link . It is a Grade II listed building (English Heritage List Entry Number: 1386179 Link Heritage Gateway)

Although the classic red-brick Victorian building looks like a single building, it was, in fact the result of a series of building projects. Prior to its construction the site was occupied by Lark Hill Place and the gardens that surrounded it. The original house was built beside the River Irwell in 1809 by Colonel James Ackers (Link ).

Lark Hill estate and mansion were purchased by Salford Council in 1849 to house the first Royal Museum and Public Library. Over the next few years extensions were added to the house to create more galleries and to accommodate the ever growing numbers of visitors. The north and south galleries, designed by Travis & Mangnall, were added in 1854 and 1856 respectively and the Langworthy wing, designed by Henry Lord, was opened officially on the 14 August 1878. The original Lark Hill house was demolished in 1936 was replaced by a new wing which mirrored the Langworthy wing.

It is, perhaps, surprising that the aesthetic design of the building building shows a remarkable degree of architectural consistency and symmetry despite the fact that the building development was a gradual evolution which was commenced by different architects evolving their ideas at different times over nearly a century of evolution but has, nonetheless, produced such a unified structure.

The building is accepted as the earliest civic building that has influenced the location of other civic buildings in the Crescent area which have developed around it. It is now in the heart of the University of Salford campus, surrounded by civic and educational buildings.

Created: Mon, 17 Mar 2014, Updated: Mon, 27 Jun 2016