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A cold but fine February day saw us making our way to Manchester - this time to visit John Rylands Library in Deansgate. Our Guide, Suzanne, not only showed us around the inside of the library but also the outside, and  explained how  and why the library had been built and what the city had been like at the time this magnificent building had arrived on the scene!

 

 

John Rylands Library Visit - February 2016

 

The John Rylands Library was founded by Enriqueta Rylands in memory of her husband John Rylands. In 1889 the architect Basil Champneys designed the striking gothic building, which took ten years to build and was opened to public readers on 1 January 1900.

The library became part of The University of Manchester in 1972 and currently holds the Special Collections of The University of Manchester Library. Mrs Rylands' memorial to her husband is now part of the third largest academic library in the United Kingdom, and over 250,000 printed volumes and well over a million manuscripts and archival items are housed here.

 

After our library tour, our guide took us on a magical mystery tour!   We visited the Abraham Lincoln Statue, the “hidden gem” - St Mary’s Church, The Town Hall & Manchester Library.  

 

What a visit! -     Incredible!        Brilliant!        Awesome!       Incroyable!