Chetham's Library — Attraction in Manchester

Chetham's Library in Manchester, England, is the oldest free public reference library in the English-speaking world. Chetham's Hospital, which contains both the library and Chetham's School of Music, was established in 1653 under the will of Humphrey Chetham (1580–1653), for the education of "the sons of honest, industrious and painful parents",[1] and a library for the use of scholars. The library has been in continuous use since 1653. It operates as an independent charity, open to readers free of charge, Monday-Friday 09.00-12.30 and 13.30-16.30 by prior appointment. Tours of the Library for visitors are bookable online from 2 September 2019 via the Library website.

The library holds more than 100,000 volumes of printed books, of which 60,000 were published before 1851. They include collections of 16th- and 17th-century printed works, periodicals and journals, local history sources, broadsides and ephemera. In addition to print materials, the library holds a collection of over 1,000 manuscripts, including 41 medieval texts.

Chetham's Library is an Accredited Museum under the Arts Council England Accreditation scheme. The whole of its collections are Designated as a collection of national and international importance under the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council Designation scheme, now administered by Arts Council England.

Paintings featured as a part of the library's fine arts collection include portraits of William Whitaker, the Reverend John Radcliffe, Robert Thyer, the Reverend Francis Robert Raines, and Elizabeth Leigh. The collection includes An Allegory with Putti and Satyrs, oil on canvas, attributed to sixteenth century artist and Netherlander Vincent Sellaer.

One of the most substantial collections pertains to Belle Vue Zoo and Gardens, Manchester's most renowned entertainment attraction and zoological center, in operation from the 1830s to the 1980s. The collection contains thousands of posters, programmes and photographs, as well as the financial and business papers of the owner, John Jennison; large numbers of items in this collection are available in digitised form online. A 2014 grant of £45,000 obtained by Chetham's Library allowed curators to make the collection available to online users, via digitization projects.

The manor house of the Lord of the Manor, in the centre of the medieval town of Manchester, stood on a sandstone bluff, at the confluence of the River Irwell and the River Irk. In 1421 the rector of the parish church, Thomas de la Warre (Lord of the manor of Manchester), obtained a licence from Henry V to refound the church as a collegiate foundation. He donated his manor house for use as the college of priests' buildings for the collegiate church (later to be the cathedral). There was accommodation for the warden, eight fellows, four clerks, and six choristers.

The Manchester Free Grammar School for Lancashire Boys was built between the church and the college buildings between 1515 and 1518. The college was dissolved in 1547 by the Chantries Act and sold to the Earl of Derby. It was re-founded as a catholic foundation by Queen Mary and again disbanded by Protestant Queen Elizabeth I. In 1578 the collegiate church was re-founded by charter as Christ's College and re-occupied by the warden and fellows. In the Civil War it was used as a prison...

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...

I booked and paid online for a tour at Chetham’s Library (18july2025), but due to a system glitch, I never received my ticket. My payment went through, yet the website redirected me with no confirmation. To avoid missing the tour, I came early to explain the situation in person. Unfortunately, no one truly listened. I was repeatedly told “it shouldn’t be a problem” and asked to just wait.

Right before the tour started (which was not on time!), I was suddenly told it was full and I couldn’t join. After waiting patiently and explaining myself multiple times to different staff, I was simply passed around and ultimately denied entry. They promised me a refund but what about the time i wasted waiting? Can they refund that?

The biggest issue wasn’t the ticket problem—it was how dismissive the staff were, how they gave me false reassurances without ever properly listening, and how they left me wasting time and feeling embarrassed after having to explain my situation repeatedly in front of others. Had they taken the time to understand from the beginning, the whole situation could’ve been avoided.

For other visitors: I suggest skipping Chetham’s Library altogether. Manchester has many places offering much better service—with free entry and no reservations needed, making them far more flexible and welcoming. Go to John Rylands Library or Manchester...