THE ART OF CHRISTIE’S BISTRO The Art of Christie’s Bistro he Christie building was built in 1898 as a library. T It was designed by Alfred Waterhouse in a neo-gothic style. The building houses busts and paintings relating to the history of the University, and features a stained- glass memorial window of the building’s namesake, Richard Copley Christie. The art of Christie’s bistro is an important part of the University’s heritage. This booklet introduces the subjects, the artists, and their stories. The University Collections he University of Manchester holds The Collections are diverse and include: dominance of certain groups throughout our a important place in history. The • Paintings and sculpture, including a large history. For example, women have historically T city of Manchester helped to amount of portraiture of key figures; not held as many senior positions as they do shape the modern world and the University today, in part because a marriage bar prevented • The University’s public art collection; of Manchester, from its origins in workers’ women from pursuing successful careers until education, medical schools and Owens • Ceremonial and decorative objects the 1950s. In addition, as elsewhere in society, College has been a major part of that related to the University, including black and minority ethnic figures have been history. The University was the first and silverware and gowns; particularly poorly represented within the most eminent of the civic universities, and • Scientific instruments and apparatus, institution’s elite positions. our founders forged liberal and progressive including the Museum of Medicine values that have allowed us to do things and Health; On 1st July 2010, the University appointed differently: to think freely, challenge social Dame Nancy Rothwell as its first female leader • Clothing, such as historic University blazers, and intellectual boundaries, and make a real and, in June 2015, students voted for Lemn sports kit and medals difference across the world. Many of the Sissay MBE to become the University’s first black Chancellor. In due course, portraits of world’s most influential thinkers have been The University Collections enable us to tell these figures will be added to the University part of our intellectual community, creating stories of our people, places, values and Collections and installed in this space. Their an ethos that has resonated through time achievements, fostering knowledge exchange images will inspire our staff, students and and across the globe. with communities beyond campus and visitors in the future. forming the basis of powerful object-based The University Collections are the art and learning experiences. Embedded across our historic artefact collections that represent the By purchasing a copy of this document, you physical and digital environment, this tangible institutional, disciplinary, social and cultural are helping us to conserve our unique material heritage underpins the distinctive University history of the University of Manchester and its heritage for current and future generations. of Manchester identity, community and predecessor institutions. These Collections If you would like to support this work further, learning experience. are held across campus, and are separate from you can donate at the Manchester Museum, the Whitworth and The University today is a diverse institution, but www.manchester.ac.uk/discover/history- the University of Manchester Library. this was not always the case. Our University heritage/contribute/ Heritage Collections clearly document the 2 3 Richard Copley Christie Richard Copley Christie (1830- the Renaissance and, in 1880, he published Christie was named one of three trustees 1901) was an educationist, a major study of Étienne Dolet, a scholar, of Sir Joseph Whitworth, who stipulated T scholar and barrister. The son printer and religious martyr who was known in his will that his estate should be used to of a Manchester mill owner, Christie as ‘the First Martyr of the Renaissance’. support his philanthropic interests. Owens obtained a degree in Law and History at Christie donated his collection of 75,000 College was judged to have a primary claim Lincoln College, Oxford in 1853. After his books, now known as the ‘Christie on the estate left by Whitworth, which was graduation, at only 23 years of age, he was Collection’ to the College. Now housed valued at over half a million pounds. Christie appointed Professor of Ancient and Modern at the University’s John Rylands Library used a proportion of the funds allocated History at the newly-founded Owens on Deansgate, the Christie Collection is for him to distribute for the construction College, Manchester. The following year, notable for containing rare, early printed of Whitworth Hall, which completed the Christie was appointed the Faulkner chair of books from the Renaissance. quadrangle of Owens College. Inspired by Political Economy and Commercial Science his wife Helen’s philanthropic concerns, and, in 1855, he was also made the chair of Christie was a constant supporter of higher Christie also gave funds for the creation Jurisprudence and Law. education and continued to be involved of the ‘Cancer Pavilion’, a specialist cancer in promoting Owens College throughout hospital in Withington, which opened in Christie aspired to pursue a legal career, his life. Although the growth of his legal 1892. He took an active role in the hospital, and he was admitted as a student of practice caused Christie to resign from his which continues as an active cancer Lincoln’s Inn whilst working at Owens chairs, he continued to play an important research and treatment facility. College. He was called to the bar in 1857, role in the College’s development. Christie and immediately commenced practice in advocated for the reconstitution of the In 1895, Richard Copley Christie gifted Manchester as an equity draughtsman and College as a university, and was a member Owens College the funds for a new library. conveyancer. This was highly successful, of the Board of Trustees and the College The Christie Library opened in 1898. was and continually grew until his retirement. Council. In these capacities, he took a major named after Christie in recognition of his Alongside his legal practice, he held a role in the growth of the college and its gift and his lifelong service to the university. position as Chancellor of the Diocese of incorporation with the College of the Royal Manchester. Manchester School of Medicine. Christie also had a keen interest in teaching evening Even when his law firm’s success meant he classes, and was on the committee of no longer had time for teaching, Christie Manchester Working Men’s College at the continued to study. He was fascinated by Mechanics’ Institution. 4 5 Plans for the Christie Building, c.1890 The Christie Library was unveiled by the Duke of Devonshire in 1898. Upon opening, the library continued to receive significant donations of books, including the Bishop of Manchester Prince Lee’s personal collection of books in theology and history numbering 7,000 volumes, and Robert Angus Smith’s collections of 4,000 volumes on chemistry. The Library also received monetary donations to purchase books, including from Charles James Darbishire, Mayor of Bolton, and writer Elizabeth Gaskell. Richard Copley Christie personally donated 75,000 volumes to the Library from his own collection, including many rare Renaissance texts. The Christie The Library served all University faculties, with the exception of medicine, until a Building dedicated Arts Library was constructed in 1937. The Christie Building then held the he Christie Building University’s principle scientific and medical opened in 1898 as a library book collections until 1982, when they were T for the Victoria University, moved to an extension of the Main Library a predecessor to the University of on Burlington Street. Many of the medieval Manchester, using funds gifted by manuscripts and rare books that were held Richard Copley Christie. here remain in the University’s possession, and are now housed in the John Rylands Library, on Deansgate. Plans The Old Library, John Christie Library Interior Owens Building, 1897 In recent years, parts of the Christie Building have been used as office Before the Christie Building was space for University staff. Following constructed, the University library the construction and extension of the was located in what is now known as University’s Main Library in the 1980s, the John Owens building. Following the Christie Library was converted several generous donations of into Christie’s Bistro. Today it is one of library collections from benefactors, the University’s most historic spaces, it was clear that dedicated library steeped in the institution’s history and accommodation was required, character. and construction on the ‘Christie Library’ began in 1895. The Library was built in three years at the cost of just over £21,000. It was designed by architect Alfred Waterhouse, who also designed all of the buildings around the Old Quadrangle with the exception of the Whitworth Building, which was designed in collaboration with his son Paul. Waterhouse was famous for his gothic architectural style, and his portfolio also included notable buildings such as the Manchester Town Hall and the Natural History Museum in London. 6 Old Library Interior 7 Woolton Stopford Moberly Armitage Morely Lindsay Greenwood Scott Jevons Unknown Neild Harris Ward Faulkner Gilbert Richmond King Cooper Sadler Christie Edward VII Unknown Smith Busts Paintings 8 9 Sir Mark Henry Richmond ir Mark Henry Richmond (1931-) is a researcher in molecular S biology and bacteriology. Born in Sydney, Australia, Richmond was educated in Britain. After studying biochemistry at Clare College, Cambridge, Richmond worked at the National Institute of Medical Research before being Alan Gilbert appointed reader of molecular biology at the University of Edinburgh. lan Gilbert (1944-2010) was a historian and university Richmond then moved to the University of Bristol to take up a post as administrator.