Museums & Music

The John Rylands Library, Manchester.

When I first moved to Manchester, The John Rylands Library in Deansgate was somewhere that really made me fall in love with the city. The late Victorian Neo-gothic building was opened to the public in 1900. It was founded in memory of John Rylands, Manchester's first multi-millionaire. Rylands owned the largest textile manufacturing company in the UK and the library was founded in his memory after his death in 1888 by his wife Enriqueta. Sat directly on the street on busy Deansgate, John Rylands is the perfect place to step away from the hustle and bustle outside. 

With church like architecture, the building itself seems to represent the worship of knowledge. The new building extension does not impose on the beauty of the original building at all, housing the cafe and gift shop, so to keep the more modern amenities from interrupting the flow of the old. The new and the old is juxtaposed perfectly with the original walls of the building still showing through as you walk up the stairs and into the library itself.

The library owns over 250,000 printed volumes and over a million manuscripts and archival items. The collections include Medieval illuminated manuscripts, what is believed to be the earliest specimen of The New Testament and the second largest selection of printings by William Caxton. Such a beautiful collection reflects the elegance and the artistry of the architecture itself and provides the perfect setting to browse the historic collections.  

One of my favourite parts of the library is the original Victorian toilets, which can be found next to the original entrance hall. They are still fully functioning and have been unchanged since 1900, showing a wonderful Victorian charm including cubicles large enough to fit in a traditional bustle skirt. Something that intrigues and delights me the most is that the library is still fully functioning place of academic research; all of the books and manuscripts in the library's collection are available to access through the libraries reader services and the dedicated reading room. 

The Historic Reading Room is easily my favourite area of the library, and one of the most spectacular places in Manchester. The huge stained glass windows and floor-to-ceiling book cases make the room a hybrid of church and library that creates an aura of wonder and resonance. The Historic Reading Room, as well as the rest of the library, still remains a place for quiet study, relaxation and research as well as an intriguing exhibition space presided over by the proud statues of Mr and Mrs Rylands themselves. Such a unique space and a beautiful building has fully cemented itself as one of my favourite Manchester places. 

     Well done to the staff of The John Rylands Library & their sense of humour!
    On my visit, Mr & Mrs Rylands were fully mustachioed  in honour of Movember.