Our popular library is open by appointment on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.

It holds a huge collection of photographs, documents and newspapers relating to Salford’s past. It is increasingly popular for family history research, delving into the history of the houses, school projects and community heritage in Salford.

Looking for maps and photographs of old Salford? Researching your family tree? Our local history library will have something for you!

The library’s extensive collection includes family history sources (from 1841), maps (from 1848), newspapers (from 1858), more than 70,000 photographs and a wide range of other useful material, including:

  • Online access, including access to family history resources
  • Street directories for Manchester and Salford
  • Census returns for Salford
  • Maps and plans of areas of the city
  • Over 70,000 historical photographs of the city and surrounding areas
Opening Hours

For the foreseeable, visitors will need to pre-book a visit to our Local History Library.

  • Monday – Closed
  • Tuesday – morning 9.30am to 12.15pm, afternoon 1.00pm to 4.00pm
  • Wednesday – morning 9.30am to 12.15pm, afternoon 1.00pm to 4.00pm
  • Thursday – morning 9.30am to 12.15pm, afternoon 1.00pm to 4.00pm
  • Friday – morning 9.30am to 12.15pm, afternoon 1.00pm to 4.00pm
  • Saturday – See below
  • Sunday – Closed
We can confirm that our drop-in Saturday visits (12-4pm) will continue into 2025! Please see below for the full list of dates. So if you haven’t had a chance to pop in, please do we would love to see you.

  • 30th March
  • 27th April
  • 25th May
  • 22nd June
  • 20th July
  • 17th August
  • 14th September
  • 12th October
  • 9th November
  • 7th December
  • 4th January 2025
  • 1st February 2025
  • 1st March 2025
Contact us

If you have any enquiries, please call us on 0161 778 0814 or email us.

View the 360º Tour of the Local History Library: