Are you looking for a free day out in Manchester with cultural value? Consider the John Rylands Library in Manchester as your destination. This library looks like a place too beautiful for mere mortals to enter. It looks like a television or movie set, and you expect to see people in period costume swishing around.
The History of John Rylands Library
Enriqueta Rylands, widow of the late John Rylands, decided that knowledge and beauty should be in the hands of the public, including the poor, when the library opened in 1900.
Mrs Rylands used her wealth to not only pay for the architectural design but also to buy two collections which would prove to be foundational to the library. The library has since then been the archive for important academic and historical documents.
Whether or not you are interested in history, or academia, John Rylands Library is still a worthy contender for a place that will make you say WOW.
What is There to See and Do Here?
It look likes a more beautiful Hogwarts. John Rylands is everything a library should be and considerably more.
My girlfriend was (she is now recovering) a Harry Potter addict, and this sated her need for Potteresque stimulation. So, if you have a young Harry Potter fan in your life, tell them this was the inspiration for Hogwart’s, and let their imaginations soar.Getting imaginations to soar is generally more expensive in a cost of living crisis.
Final Thoughts
Certain places are meant for quiet contemplation and the John Rylands Library is certainly one of the best. For study, meeting friends, or getting amazing Instagram content the library is incredible. This is a day trip that is worth much more than the NOTHING you pay for entry.
If you want to pretend to your child that this is Hogwart’s, plan your day trip ahead. Perhaps tell the school your child is sick on a weekday if you want to go when it is quieter :-).
Entry: Free!
Open from Wednesday to Saturday (10 am – 5 pm)
John Rylands Research Institute and Library, 150 Deansgate Manchester M3 3EH
