The arms on the left has a motto at the bottom:
Nihil nisi labore which means "Nothing without effort".
I walked aimlessly for about twenty minutes and found myself in front of a building facade that looked much like a a neo-gothic styled church. Little did I know, I was standing in front of one of the most beautiful libraries in the world, the John Rylands Library.
The library reception faces the Library Shop and peaking from behind is Cafe Rylands.
I followed the sign that points to the entrance at the side of the building. There I found out the structure was not after all a church but rather a library, something I found very interesting. The receptionist told me about the free introductory tours given every Wednesday and Friday with no reservation necessary. I just needed to turn up a few minutes before the 3pm start. The tour started with our guide giving some information about the library and how its story began.The library was founded by Enriqueta Augustina Rylands as a memorial to her late husband John Rylands, a successful English businessman and Manchester's first multi-millionaire. Enriqueta knew just how she wanted the library to look when she commissioned architect Basil Champneys to design it. The structure was built over a 9 year period ending in 1899.
There are no plain walls or ceilings throughout the whole library.
She personally chose everything from the structure to the glass windows, statues and furniture in every room. Enriqueta didn't just take part in designing it from the start but also regularly visited the site to ensure everything was progressing according to her plans. It was indeed her beloved masterpiece, not just a memorial to her dear husband.
intricate details in every nook and cranny
On the first floor are the Spencer and Crawford rooms, both named after the most prized collections owned by the library. These rooms were opened to the public in relatively recently in 2007 after the completion of the latest extension to the building.Just like in all the other rooms, it is interesting to note that the glass windows on the cabinets housing the books in the Spencer and Crawford rooms were originally built not to protect the books from being stolen but instead mainly from being damaged by pollution. Enriqueta was concerned about the pollution in Manchester at that time and wanted to ensure the books were not adversely affected. The glass windows' mechanism uses velvet cork to make the cabinets air-tight and protect the books from both pollution and moisture in the air.
Theology Directing the Labours of Science and Art
The historic entrance hall where one can find the original entrance doors, leads to a three-figured statue "Theology Directing the Labours of Science and Art", a creation of John Cassidy. These symbolic statues represent the theme of the library.
the Reading Room
The most interesting part and the heart of the library is the historic reading room which reminded me of a location from the movie Harry Potter. This room houses the statues of John and Enriqueta at opposite ends. The library's theme is most evident in this room. On the wall behind Enriqueta's statue is the Literature and Art glass window with images of famous personalities including Plato, Cicero, Aristotle, Beethoven, Rafael and Socrates while on the opposite side behind John's statue is the Theological window with various images including Moses, Isaiah and other popular Christian figures. Along the hall just before the entrance to the pocket libraries are bronze statues of William Shakespeare, Martin Luther and John Dalton among others.
the high ceiling of the Reading Room
high clerestory windows
pocket libraries dotting both sides of the Reading Room's hall
I truly enjoyed visiting the John Rylands Library. I would recommend this thirty-minute introductory tour to anyone who is interested to get to know more of Manchester's history but doesn't have much time to spare. However, for those who prefer to spend more time appreciating Enriqueta's masterpiece, there are various other options including the photography tour, the explorer tour and the collections tour. The next time I visit, I think I would be interested to do the collections tour. It lasts for around an hour and participants will be able to see about eight or nine unique historical items not normally shown to visitors. How about you?
