John Rylands Library, Manchester

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The Library is a Victorian gothic building in Deansgate in the City Centre of Manchester.Opened to the public in 1900 and founded by Mrs Enriqueta Augustina Rylands in memory of her late husband John Rylands.Since July 1972 the building has served as the Special Collections section of the John Rylands Universaty Library.The collections include exquisite medieval illuminated manuscripts,examples of the earliest forms of European printing,including the 'Gutenberg Bible'and the personal papers of notable local figures such as Elizabeth Gaskell and John Dalton.
The Library has been a Grade I listed building since 1994,there have been four extensions to the building,the last of which was completed in 2007.

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The Victorian Gothic Library on Deansgate was built in 1900 in memory of John Rylands. The libray was founded by his late wife, Enriqueta Rylands. Mr and Mrs Rylands were successful in the textile industry at the time. The building was designed by Basil Champneys, a notable architect of that time.

John Rylands Library now serves as a Special Collections section at The University of Manchester since 1972. The collection include medieval manuscripts and the Gutenberg Bible.

You are able to look at the Historic Entrance and Main Staircase; look around the Spencer and Crawford Rooms and visit the Historic Reading Room. There are also the galleries where you can see the Library's most important collections and the incredible architecture.

It's worth visiting the original Victorian toilets situated at the bottom of the stairs from the Entrance Hall.

Unfortunately, photography isn't allowed in the building and galleries.

In November 2010, I visited an interesting exhibition, 'Elizabeth Gaskell: A Connected Life' at John Rylands Library. The exhibition celebrated 200 years of her birth and the exhibition showcased her correspondence and how she interacted with famous literacy figures and Manchester's working class during the 19th Century.

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With more than 4 million printed books and manuscripts, over 41,000 electronic journals and 500,000 electronic books, as well as several hundred databases, the John rylands librayr is certainly a welth of knowledge as well as a fantastic building.
It is a fantastic Victorian Gothic building situated on Deansgate, The library opened to the public in 1900 and was founded by Mrs Enriqueta Augustina Rylands in memory of her late husband John Rylands

In 1889 Enriqueta Rylands purchased the site on Deansgate at the heart of Manchester's city centre which at that time was classed as a dirty and smog filled city and many objections were made at the time. She had commissioned a design from architect Basil Champneys who designed the building as a very fine example of Victorian Gothic that although still has much of the appearance of a church was altered by the instructions of Enriqueta Rylands so as not to look as much like a Cathederal.

The museums collections include some fantastic medieval illuminated manuscripts as well as examples of the earliest forms of European printing which include the Gutenberg Bible as well as the personal papers of some notable local figures such as Elizabeth Gaskell and John Dalton as well as many ancient religious texts and my favorites some Egyption scrolls from around 640 bc

I was really fasinated by the architecture of the inside of the building. i had walked past many times and have always loved it's fantastic exterior but untill recently have never been in. you are not allowed to take photos inside but i did take a couple by accident (untill i saw the sign of course)

there is a nice shop with lots of interesting things to buy as well as a really nice smelling cafe

It is open:
Monday to Friday 8am 7.00pm
Saturday 9am 5.00pm
Sunday Closed

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The John Rylands Library has recently been refurbished and now has disabled access, study areas and a new reception desk, café and shop. The modern extension links to the older part by bridge and the highlight of this old part is the main Reading Room which has an incredible staircase leading up to it.
The Library contains a collection of very important books and other material - medieval illuminated manuscripts, samples of the earliest forms of modern printing including the Gutenberg Bible, and personal papers of important historical figures in the local area such as Elizabeth Gaskell, John Dalton and John Wesley.
The Fragment of St John's is here. It dates from the second century AD and is the earliest piece of the New Testament in any language.

John Rylands first opened in 1900 and is a stone building in the Gothic style, with incredible stained glass windows of roundels and metalwork. There are statues of John Rylands and his wife in the reading room.
John Rylands library is free to visit and is open Monday 10am-5pm, Tuesday noon-5pm, Wednesday-Saturday 10am-5pm, Sunday noon- 5pm.

The John Rylands Library (inaugurated October 1899) is a collection of historic books and manuscripts in Manchester, England. In 1972, it merged with the library of the Victoria University of Manchester to form the John Rylands University Library of Manchester. Notably, the John Rylands Library holds what is believed to be the oldest extant New Testament document, Rylands Library Papyrus P52, the so-called St John's Fragment.

History
The library was founded by Mrs Enriqueta Augustina Rylands in memory of her late husband, John Rylands. In 1890, having purchased a site on Deansgate at the heart of Manchester city centre, she commissioned a design from architect Sir Basil Champneys. Mrs Rylands had originally intended the library as a principally theological collection and the building, a very fine example of Victorian Gothic, has much of the appearance of a church. The core of the library was formed around the collection of 40,000 rare books assembled by George John Spencer, which Mrs Rylands purchased in 1892. The library was finally opened to readers on January 1, 1900.

In 1972, it merged with the library of the Victoria University of Manchester to form the John Rylands University Library of Manchester. Today it forms part of The John Rylands University Library, The University of Manchester.

Matching statues of John Rylands and Enriqueta Augustina Rylands by John Cassidy can be seen in the reading room of the library.

The library became a Grade I listed building on January 25, 1952.

Temporarily closed, Reopens to public. 14.05.2007.

Opens Mon to Sat 10am to 5pm.
Tours on Wednesday from 12.00 noon.

Manchester's most beautiful building is this library(admission free open 10am-5pm Mon-Fri 10am-1pm Sat), built in memory of a rish cotton manufacturer. It is an excellent example of Victorian Gothic, and its breath taking reading room should not be missed. The library has a fine collection of early printed books(including a Gutenberg Bible, several Caxtons and manuscripts dating back to 2000BC). Tours start at noon every Wednesday and cost about £1.