Bibliophiles, rejoice: we have rounded up the best libraries in Manchester for your perusal. Manchester has long been a place of learning – it is home to Britain’s oldest public library, after all. We thought it high time to celebrate the best libraries in Manchester, big and small, new and old.
Central Library re-opened in 2014 after a £48m restoration, bigger and brighter, and the new home of the city’s archives and local history collections.
John Rylands Library houses a collection of rare books that spans five millennia – including an original Gutenberg Bible – in a neo-Gothic building that took nine years to build.
The Portico Library opened in 1806, and remains a well-appointed subscription library today. Go for tea and cake, exhibitions and events beneath its beautiful glass dome.
Chetham’s Library is the oldest free public reference library in Britain. Visitors can browse beautiful medieval shelving and an internationally rated collection of books.
The Working Class Movement Library houses the personal collection of labour historians Ruth and Edmund Frow, a treasure trove of material and stories dating back to the 1760s.
The North West’s first public poetry library, with a mission to widen access to poetry to everybody, you’ll find Manchester Poetry Library opposite All Saints park.
A public library in the centre of the wonderful market town of Altrincham.
The North West’s first public poetry library, Manchester Poetry Library opened in 2020 at Manchester Metropolitan University.
These regular talks in both Manchester and Knutsford unpack the meaning and significance of Elizabeth Gaskell’s writing.
Long-lasting organisation with regular meetings and telescope sessions in the 1902 Godlee Observatory.
A modern community library space in North Manchester which is shared with North Manchester Sixth Form College.
Wythenshawe Forum comprises co-located services and a hub for community and business. The venue has leisure facilities as well as a performance space and complete library services.
One of Manchester’s most most diverse neighborhoods has a library to match with newspapers, books and publications available in multiple languages.
Tameside Library has the library on one floor and the Central Art Gallery above. Sounds a little like an arts centre. It’s all housed in a comfortable and sturdy building.
This red sandstone neo-Gothic building was created on a grand Mancunian scale and houses a collection of rare books that spans five millennia – including an original Gutenberg Bible.
This cornerstone of Chorlton life is a Carnegie library, listed building and the second busiest library in the city.
Formerly the Sir Kenneth Green Library, All Saints Library is part of Manchester Metropolitan University.
Chetham’s Library is one of the must-sees of any visit to Manchester. The library was founded in 1653, and is the oldest public library in the world – but the building dates back even further, to 1421.
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