Manchester Libraries

Manchester, my wonderful home town. It is a vibrant, historical and fun city to visit and live. There is lots to do linked with the music and football history, especially the Football Museum.

What it also has is 3 important libraries that are all worth a visit in their own right. The Central Library dominates St Peters Square and is a large round building. It houses a small theatre in the basement and lots of various exhibitions celebrating aspects from Manchester, especially the suffragette movement. I love wandering round the music library with its manuscripts and instruments.

John Rylands library on Deansgate is a late Victorian neo Gothic building. It holds one of the finest collection of old books and manuscripts and its Gothic interior makes you feel like you are in Harry Potter. The reading room always makes me want to study there.

The third library is Cheetham's Library. It is in the school of music and you can only access on a tour. It is the oldest free public reference library in the UK and you can see the desk and alcove where Karl Marx and Freidrich Engels works on the communist Manifesto.

Just up from Cheethams you can get to the Northern Quarter in Manchester where you will find lots of fantastic food and drink establishments. If cake and milkshake is your thing call into Home Sweet Home, you will not be dissapointed. Lots of great street art on the way.