'Wonderland by the Waves' at Manchester Central Library

On Friday evening I visited the Manchester Central Library for the opening of 'Wonderland by the Waves' an exhibition curated by students (my friends!) from the University of Manchester. Working in tandem with Arts Management students, a team of MA Art Gallery and Museum Studies students created 'Wonderland by the Waves', an exhibition exploring local history and the traditional Mancunian summer holiday to Blackpool. 

In response to 'Wonderland by the Waves' the Arts Management students created a lovely opening night entitled 'Manchester Wakes: Workers at Play'. The evening was deemed a success with great attendance on the opening evening. I would say that there did not seem to be enough emphasis that the evening was to open an exhibition. It felt as if the team involved in the event portion of the project may have run away with themselves slightly as there was little to no advertisement of the actual exhibition on the night. 

However, the evening was very enjoyable, with appearances from award-winning performance poet JB Barrington and monologues from Jennifer Reid and John Bartley. The Oldham Youth Wind ensemble welcomed people into the library with seaside themed tunes before Levy Uke Up ushered in a seaside singalong with accompanying ukeleles! 

The exhibition itself may be a little tucked away but includes some gems from Blackpool's holiday heyday including treasured photographs and original tram tickets, swimming caps and brochures. The free sticks of Blackpool rock ushered in memories of British seaside holidays as you browsed the classic British 'staycation'.

Salford-born performance poet, JB Barrington, gave a lively and humorous performance of his original poetry, some of which had been created specifically for the event. Some pieces were performed with the accompaniment of students from the RNCM, giving a classical touch to a very modern poet. 

The evening was broken up by performances from The Cosmo Singers from the University of Manchester as well as the Kadenza/Bolton Clarion Choir (below). The Kadenza/Bolton Choir gave a rousing performance of songs from Manchester's industrial past including 'July Wakes' and 'Bolton Mill Lad'. The Cosmo singers made a particular impression with their stunning performance of Deep River by Micheal Tippett followed by an unexpected but humorous depiction of 'The Drunken Sailor'.

The Cosmo Singers from the University of Manchester

The Kadenza/Bolton Clarion Choir

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.