Chetham's Library

Chetham's Library is the oldest public library in Britain, and for the past 350 years it has been continuously used as a public library. It was originally built from 1421 using sandstone as part of the Manchester Collegiate Church to house priests. The library boasts an incredible collection of historic books in it's medieval rooms. You can take a tour at the library to learn more about this historic building.

Excellent tour guide, I forget his name but he had short grey hair and wore a copper bangle. Pointed out many details we’d have otherwise missed and the flow of the tour was really nice, very chatty and casual while still giving lots of info. Explained the upcoming events at the end which we will definitely be attending.Thanks again!! * Just to note you must book in advance via the website *

The tour guide was super knowledgeable and friendly. I was worried about this being a guided tour, as sometimes you get rushed through and don't get the chance to experience everything. However, this tour was comprehensive and the group were given ample time to explore the library independently too. My visit lasted about an hour and I got to take lots of photos, soak up the history and be surrounded by beautiful and old fashioned books! Would recommend highly to any book fans out there.

A must-see hidden gem in Manchester—especially if you’re into history or magic. While the city might not have a long list of tourist must-dos beyond football, this incredible library should absolutely be on your list. It’s actually the first public library in England, and yet so many locals still don’t know it exists—which is a real shame. The place is full of character, with a rich history and a truly magical atmosphere that makes you feel like you’ve stepped into the world of Harry Potter. (Seriously, any Potter fan will love it!) You’ll find fascinating details throughout, including gigantic chained books that are just stunning to see in person. Visits must be prebooked, but it’s 100% worth it. A guide will take you through the space and share the amazing stories behind it all. One of Manchester’s most underrated treasures—don’t miss it

A very enjoyable and informative tour, takes just over an hour. Our guide (Alastair?) was excellent. You get to see the library and a small number of other rooms. Plenty of time to have a look round without any pressure to move on. Recommend booking tickets in advance - we went on February Thursday and the tour was pretty busy.

Tickets can be bought online only, there are guided tours. We've had a tour with Sue today who was very insightful. The whole tour takes about an hour and it's highly recommended.

Library after Hours tour. Not really a tour. Gathered outside and escorted to building. Given tiny leaflet, told to wonder about on your own and speak to various staff members dotted about the place. Try to visit in dark winter nights as spring dusk is still too bright to experience the after hours atmosphere. The actual library, was quite small, only 2 corridors. No actual emphasis or descriptions of collections or specific books of note. Ask staff about it. Meeting of Marx and Engels was another highlight but a minor point in footnote of history, considering the various other libraries and locations they actually visited. The small alcove was strangely set aside from the library space, part of another room. Rest of building unremarkable and served many functions unrelated to being a library eg hospital, dinning hall etc.

Please note that advanced booking is required and the website of the library explains it well. Our experience here was far from impressive though. We wanted to visit the library at 1pm on Tue, 16 May, but did not realise that advanced booking was required. So we went to the gate of the library and there was someone (say P for person) at the lodge next to the Cathedral garden. We: Hello, we’d like to visit the library please. P: You need to book it online. We: Oh, okay, thank you. Then we opened a mobile phone to find out the information. However, he came out of the lodge and said the following in an upset tone. P: I said(!) you needed to book it online! Also, you are not allowed to take pictures with children in it! He then banged the door of the lodge and we were rather puzzled - (i) we did not and still do not know why he suddenly got so upset (ii) we understood what he said in the first place and so were trying to browse the web to find the online booking form. Having lived in the UK for the last 20+ years, I have never seen a person that upset/rude. It is understandable that he may have thought that we were trying to take pictures and he wanted to stop it, but it was not necessary to yell at us especially when he did not know what we were trying to do. After all, our experience here was not pleasant at all and, despite the excitement to see this classic-looking library, we decided to just leave. Reflecting back, I could not erase an impression of racism where I expected to experience it the least - schoolyard. p.s. The pictures attached were taken outside the opening hours and I hope it does not break the rules - if so, please let me know and I would be more than happy to unload them.

I love it in here. I'm a fan of the smell of old books no matter how much some people in here turn their noses up and say it has the perfume of old people. It holds the feeling of how you'd imagine the restricted section of Hogwarts. Free to enter, check in with security, it has allotted times now where you can head in. As the oldest public library in the UK, and all those lovely beams- it's worth a look around.

As part of the Manchester Histories Festival, Chetham's Library was open to the public for a day. I took the opportunity to sneak into this hidden gem and was overwhelmed at just how spectacular the library is. You feel like Harry Potter as you walk up the stairs into the half-timbered library space. It is dark, creaky and full of beautiful old wooden shelves. It is one of those spaces that takes your breath away, particularly as it is so beautifully hidden in Manchester city centre. It is worth organising to visit this wonderful space and to walk amongst the beautiful old books in the school's collection. Manchester is lucky to have a library like this - go and appreciate its beauty.

If you love a little bit of history and you also love to read, then Chetham's Library might be a worthwhile trip. Established in 1653, it's the UK's oldest free public library (although to visit you must make an appointment). Housed in the most incredible 15th-century Baronial Hall, the stunning dark-wood aisles are packed to the rafters with all kinds of publications from 'large folio books to manuscript diaries, letters and deeds, to prints, paintings and glass lantern-slides'. There's also an incredible selection of archives, newspaper cuttings and old photographs. In fact, all together, there are over 100,000 publications here, the majority of which were printed before 1850. If anybody has ever read 'Shadow in the Wind', you might have some idea of how special a place this is and what a wonderful insight it can give you into our heritage (note that to see specific material you'll have to enquire). A nice little bit of trivia: this is a library where Marx and Engels would meet, you can see exactly where they sat and what book Marx was reading at the time. Ok, I'm a geek. What can I say?

Chetham's is one of the most beautiful libraries in the north, let alone in Manchester. Its primarily concerned with local history and writers, and is indeed where Marx and Engels once had a chat or two, though that usually gets played up the vicious rumour mill, which wildly claims that they wrote the communist manifesto there and probably some cheeky volumes of Das Capital while they were at it. The beautiful reading room at the top of the library is now host to a number of excellent conferences, many free. Recently, the History of the Book conference, an annual event organized jointly with The University of Manchester's literature department, has been a resounding success, and though you'll have to wait a year, well worth going to. The head librarian is a lovely and helpful man, will assist you in the search for interesting and ageing volumes, no matter how obscure your interests. If you're a scholar you should definitely investigate what the archives hold from your field, and if you're just an interested visitor you should definitely pass by to see the building and its interior, and learn a bit of local history.

This library is SO worth the visit! It is like going back in time. It's free to get in, though you will feel compelled to donate. You check in with the guard and then are sent back to the library where you walk up to an ancient door and ring the bell for them to let you in. Once in you have free reign to explore the library. It has that amazing smell of old books, the lighting is perfect, the artifacts contained inside are exquisite. There is a room with a gigantic round table and chairs - perfect to bring your own book to sit and read, do some writing, etc. A very inspiring space in that way. Will definitely go back next time I'm in town.

You may think reviewing a library is really quite sad. It is. But this library is a little bit different so i'm adding it. For a start, as libraries go they are generally used for reading or working silently in. Forget that if you're going here. This place is too 'special' for common folk to be contaminating. It's one of the oldest libraries in Britain (apparently) and pretty much everything inside it is antique and therefore locked away so don't bloody touch anything! The only reason we went for a look around was because we were looking for locations to shoot a short film, and in some respects it was quite interesting to investigate. But don't DO anything or you'll get told off. (What were you thinking?!) We were stupid enough to stand in the middle of an empty room and some old woman with a gigantic arse came in and told us off. I can't believe we even considered standing in an empty room to be honest. Oh, and they wouldn't let us shoot any films surprisingly. It was free to get in blah blah blah, but why anyone would want to, unless you were some sort of historian, is beyond me. If your grandma and grandad are in town they might appreciate it.

See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chetham%27s_Library for a full history of this marvelous medieval building in the heart of Manchester. Tucked away from easy public view near Victoria station it is worth a visit to see that there is more to Manchester than the modern or even Victorian city. but it has to be said - you're not there for the books....