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John Rylands University Library of Manchester
Location Manchester, UK
Date 1900
Architect Basil Champneys
Type of library University/Public Library
website address http://rylibweb.man.ac.uk/spcoll/
Local Name
John Rylands University Library of Manchester
Visiting Address
150 Deansgate, Manchester M3 3EH, UK
Opening Hours
Monday to Friday, 10.00 to 17.30, Saturday, 10.00 to 13.00
Closed Sundays, public and University holidays
Brief History
The John Rylands Library is one of the finest examples of modern
Gothic architecture in Europe. It was built during the 1890s, in
memory of Manchester cotton merchant John Rylands, who died
in 1888. His widow commissioned Basil Champneys to design a
building which would give Manchester one of the finest libraries in
the country.
The Library opened on 1 January 1900. It remained an independent
library until 1972, when it merged with Manchester University Library.
The John Rylands Library now forms part of the John Rylands
University Library of Manchester, housing the rare book and
manuscript collections of the third largest academic library in the UK.
The library’s famous Reading Room (see picture) was built 30 feet
(9 metres) above street level to minimize disturbance from the horse-
drawn traffic on Deansgate’s cobblestones.
Special Interest
The collection of printed books was established with the purchase of
the Spencer Collection in 1892. The library holds some 4,000 incunabula,
including the earliest European book produced with movable type, the
42-line Bible printed by Gutenberg in Mainz. The collection of Caxton’s
printings is the largest outside the British Library.
The Library’s manuscript collections cover more than 50 languages, from
the third millennium BC to the present day. The most famous is the
St. John Fragment, a small remnant of papyrus from the 2nd century AD,
which is believed to be the earliest surviving text from the New Testament.
The library will be closed until late 2005, for major renovations. Stock will
be available from the main University Library.
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