Chetham's Library

Chetham's Library on Long Millgate, in the Cathedral Quarter of Manchester, England, was founded in 1653 and is the oldest free public reference library in the English-speaking world. It occupies a medieval building that once housed the college of priests of the collegiate church, now Manchester Cathedral, and stands within the grounds of Chetham's School of Music. The sandstone and timber interior includes the Reading Room with its carved oak bookcases and the Baronial Hall, and the collection of around 100,000 volumes includes printed books, manuscripts and local material. Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels are recorded as having studied here in the 1840s, and the alcove where they are said to have sat is a highlight of the tour. Access is by pre-booked guided tour on selected weekday times rather than by walk-in browsing, so visitors need to check the website before travelling. Tours last about 60 minutes and cost about £8 for adults. The guided format means the group size is small and the experience is quiet. The courtyard and the building's timber-framed exterior are best photographed from outside, as interior photography may be restricted. The library is a three-minute walk from Victoria station and a short walk from Manchester Cathedral, so the two can be visited together. Weekday morning tours are generally less crowded, and tours tend to fill ahead of school holidays. The surrounding Chetham's School of Music, founded in the 17th century as a boys' hospital and school, still occupies the neighbouring buildings and often fills the area with the sound of students rehearsing. The tour gives context on the library's founder Humphrey Chetham, a Manchester merchant, and on the books he intended to be freely available to scholars, a principle the library continues to follow today. Visitors should dress comfortably, expect some stairs, and leave bags in the space provided before the tour begins.