John Rylands Library

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  • Mon-Fri 10:00 - 17:00 , Sat 10:00 - 13:00

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Lonely Planet review

Probably Manchester's most beautiful building, this marvellous Victorian Gothic library was one hell of a way for the widow Rylands to remember her husband John. It was slated to reopen by the middle of 2006 after a major renovation, but we were still tapping our feet at the end of that summer. Come on, people!

It's been too long since we set foot inside Basil Champneys' breathtaking Reading Room, designed to look like a monastic library, or had the chance to gawk at the stunning collection of early printed books and rare manuscripts (including a Gutenberg Bible and manuscripts dating back to 2000 BC). Hey, some folks just love books!