Blog

1. RIP Humphrey Chetham

     Our founder Humphrey Chetham died on this day 360 years ago. Chetham wrote at least nine different wills during the last years of his life, each varying slightly from...

   20th September 2013 • Read more

2. Please raise your glasses!

   As part of the Laurence Sterne tercentenary, Shandy Hall are holding an evening talk by Professor Judith Hawley on eighteenth-century clubs and toasting. We would be happy to provide suggestions...

   19th September 2013 • Read more

3. Edward and Absolom Watkin: Hidden Heroes of Radical Manchester

   We are privileged to have received a unique donation of material relating to Sir Edward Watkin by his great-granddaughter, Miss Dorothea Worsley-Taylor. Watkin, one of the most extraordinary men of...

   11th September 2013 • Read more

4. Animal Magic

   It is always a pleasure to receive a catalogue from Sokol Books in the post and the latest edition LXIII is no exception. We are privileged to hold a number...

   11th September 2013 • Read more

5. New digitised material on the website!

   Our Digital Resources page is growing apace, and we have just uploaded two new pdfs to the website. The first is Sir Henry Knyvett’s manuscript ‘A breefe treatis or rather...

   5th September 2013 • Read more

6. Catriona meets Edward Watkin

     Before she left, our recent volunteer Catriona Graffius wrote a short piece for us about her experience of working with the Edward Watkin collection. Catriona writes: “Coming to Chetham’s...

   5th September 2013 • Read more

7. Turning on the waterworks

   On this day in 1890, Alderman Sir John James Harwood laid the foundation stone of the dam at Thirlmere, the first stage of the project to take water from the...

   22nd August 2013 • Read more

8. Swinging on a star

     On this day in 1893 the Barton Swing Aqueduct carried its first barge along the Bridgewater Canal and over the top of the soon-to-be opened Manchester Ship Canal. The...

   21st August 2013 • Read more

9. Come and see the Reading Room!

   The Reading Room is now open after several weeks of major structural work. The furniture is back in place and everything is clean and polished and ready to receive visitors,...

   21st August 2013 • Read more

10. The Reading Room re-opens next week!

    We’re pleased to report that the Reading Room floor has now been replaced. A team of cleaners are now hoovering up all the dust and debris, and polishing all the...

    16th August 2013 • Read more