Blog

1. 

   Blindingly good news

   Some of you will remember the recent blog post covering conservation and how we care for the books and library space. In this post we will be discussing our recent...

   1st October 2020 • Read more

2. 

   Authors and Readers in Humphrey Chetham’s Parish Libraries

   Since my last blog post on the Gorton Chest Library back in February 2019, I have made considerable progress in analysing the books in its collection, and I’m pleased to...

   5th August 2020 • Read more

3. 

   Caring for our Books

   Conservation practices at Chetham’s Library It is no secret that Chetham’s library has a significantly important scholarly collection. There are over 120,000 printed items, over half of these were published...

   30th June 2020 • Read more

4. 

   A Small World?

   In mid-March 2020 we were planning to exhibit some of Chetham’s Library’s early atlases, to provide an insight into how knowledge of the world was expanding in the late 16th...

   2nd June 2020 • Read more

5. 

   Bodies In The Library: A display of anatomy books

   Humphrey Chetham’s vision for his library was that it would offer resources to the professional men of Manchester (lawyers, clergy, doctors) comparable with those at the university colleges of Oxford...

   17th April 2020 • Read more

6. 

   Lady Day indoors

   Wednesday, 25 March is and was the date traditionally know as ‘Lady Day’, the Feast of the Annunciation, marking the visit of the angel to the Virgin (hence ‘Lady’) narrated...

   26th March 2020 • Read more

7. 

   Not In front of The Children: Fairy Tales in Chetham’s Library

   We’ve often heard Chetham’s Library described as a magic, fairy-tale place. Children, and many adults, gasp in disbelief and wonder as they ascend the stairs. Humphrey Chetham, with his grounded...

   2nd March 2020 • Read more

8. 

   Chetham’s Library, Book Historians and Book Lovers

   We were very pleased to receive this blog post from last year’s researcher-in-residence, Verônica Calsoni Lima. Verônica was with us for some extended research into censorship in England in the...

   12th February 2020 • Read more

9. 

   Sir Edward Watkin – King of Railways

   Geoff Scargill is one of our invaluable Library volunteers, who was previously a long-serving staff member at Chetham’s School of Music. Geoff is a devoted fan of Sir Edward Watkin,...

   9th October 2019 • Read more

10. 

    Flights of Fancy

    One of the most notable features of the Reading Room at Chetham’s Library is a stunning carved and painted tympanum above the fireplace featuring heraldry and emblems relating to Humphey...

    10th April 2019 • Read more