What a fabulous place. The guided tour was fantastic, although I felt sorry for those in our group who weren’t native English speakers: they had trouble understanding our guide’s accent, which thoroughly diminished their experience. In this day and age, audio guides should be an option for those who require it. As per our guide’s suggestion, I read up about the collection on the very thorough website, definitely a journey down the web-version of a rabbit hole, but oh so enjoyable.

A truly enriching experience! I booked one of the tour slots on a Saturday with my parents. Our tour guide was fantastic, he was enthusiastic throughout and actually revealed he had himself been a frequent visitor of the library for years before becoming a guide. There’s layers of history to be discovered at Cheetham library - right in the centre of the city of Manchester! From an 15C monastery, 16C grammar school and of course a library. On the tour, you get the opportunity to sit at the table that Marx and Engles wrote the communist manifesto!

If you’re seeking historical significance and antiquity, this is an absolute must. Nice little tour of the grounds and the library. Really had a nice time here. The guide was very knowledgeable about the history of the library and the buildings previous uses. A lot of the building is still in its original state which makes it that much better. Definitely check this place out.

What a great tour. Wonderful building and very informative guide. The library itself is magnificent. Amazing to see Johnson’s dictionary and all the other wonderful books in such an atmospheric setting and to see where the communist manifesto was discussed by Marx and Engels!