Something to write home about (Manchester’s unexpected libraries)

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Something to write home about (Manchester’s unexpected libraries)

Usually associated with soccer, pop music and industrial heritage, Manchester may seem an unlikely destination for bibliophiles. But this metropolis in England’s north-west is a UNESCO City of Literature, and complementing its characterful bookshops is a string of beautiful and inspiring libraries. Here are five of the best you can visit.

Founded in AD1653 by wealthy cloth merchant Humphrey Chetham, this occupies a sandstone medieval building and is touted as the oldest public library in the English-speaking world. A treasure trove of leather-bound tomes and manuscripts, antique wood panelling and creaking stairs, “Chet’s”, as it’s affectionately known, is delightfully atmospheric and tends to bring to mind Hogwarts from Harry Potter. Admission is by guided tour only, and you must pre-book online (adults from £11/$21, over-10s £6.50/$12.60). You’ll hear anecdotes about the library’s extensive collection and the characters who have browsed and researched here. Guides will point out the desk and alcove Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels worked at in 1845 (their ********** Manifesto was published three years later). Marx, who lived in London, was a regular visitor to Manchester and Engels’ father ran a cotton factory locally. Positioned by Manchester Cathedral and the National Football Museum, “Chet’s” adjoins Chetham’s School of Music, the ***’s largest specialist music school, which often stages free lunchtime recitals and concerts for the public.

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