The Manchester Free Library, the first library established under the provisions of the Public Libraries Act of 1850, was opened at the Hall of Science, Campfield, near Deansgate in the center of Manchester in 1852. In 1877, the Hall was demolished after its structure had become weakened by the weight of books, and the library moved to the former Manchester Town Hall on King Street. In 1934, the library moved to its present home in the Central Library, St Peter’s Square, central Manchester.