The John Rylands Library

On Deansgate in Manchester, the John Rylands Library brings rare books and a striking neo-Gothic interior together in a working university library. Its vaulted reading room, stained glass, carved wood and stone arches reward a slow look, even if you are not coming to study. The collections include medieval manuscripts, an original Gutenberg Bible and the St John Fragment, an early New Testament text. Entry is free, and public exhibitions let you see selected material without needing to use the research collections.

A memorial built for Manchester

The library was commissioned by Enriqueta Rylands in memory of her husband, John Rylands, a Manchester industrialist. Designed by Basil Champneys, the neo-Gothic building opened to the public in 1900. It later became part of the University of Manchester.

Its Deansgate setting puts the historic stone exterior close to the newer buildings of Spinningfields. Inside, the scale and decoration shift the experience from city street to quiet reading rooms, with carved details, arches and coloured glass to look for as you walk through.

The reading room and its details

The historic reading room is the architectural focus of a visit. Look up to the vaulted ceiling, then take in the stained-glass windows, oak interiors and stonework. The room was built above street level, in part to protect readers from the noise of horse-drawn traffic on Deansgate.

The building still serves as a library, so visitors share the space with its academic purpose. Public areas include historic rooms and exhibition spaces. Some parts are not open to general visitors, and access to the Special Collections Reading Room normally needs to be arranged in advance.