John Rylands Library
Encyclopedia
The John Rylands Library is a Victorian Gothic
building on Deansgate
in Manchester
, England. The library, which opened to the public in 1900, was founded by Mrs Enriqueta Augustina Rylands
in memory of her late husband, John Rylands
. Since July 1972 the building has served as the Special Collections section of the John Rylands University Library
(JRUL).
The collections include exquisite medieval illuminated manuscripts, examples of the earliest forms of European printing, including the Gutenberg Bible
, and the personal papers of notable local figures such as Elizabeth Gaskell
and John Dalton
. The library has been a Grade I listed building since 1994.
There have been four extensions to the building, the last of which was completed in 2007.
, in 1889 for her planned memorial library and commissioned a design from architect
Basil Champneys
. Mrs Rylands had originally intended the library as a principally theological
collection and the building, which is a very fine example of Victorian Gothic, has much of the appearance of a church, although the actual concept was of an Oxford college library on a larger scale. The core of the library was formed around the collection of 40,000 books including many rarities assembled by George John Spencer
, which Mrs Rylands purchased in 1892. The library was finally opened to readers on 1 January 1900.
The site, chosen by Mrs. Rylands to be in a central and fashionable part of the city, was awkward in shape and orientation and surrounded by tall warehouses, derelict cottages and narrow streets. The proposed position was criticised by many for its lack of surrounding space and the fact that the valuable manuscript collections were to be housed in "that dirty, uncomfortable city...[with] not enough light to read by, and the books they already have are wretchedly kept" (written in 1901 about the Crawford MSS.) Mrs. Rylands had negotiated Deeds of Agreement with her neighbours to fix the heights of future adjacent buildings. The permissible height of the buildings on the library site was fixed at just over thirty-four feet, but it was suggested that it could be taller at the centre if there was an open area around the edges, at the height of the buildings that had been demolished to make way for the construction. Champneys incorporated this suggestion into his design, building the two towers of the main facade twelve feet back from the boundary and keeping the entrance block low, to allow light into the library.
He also designed the building in a series of tiered steps with an almost flat roof to give a 'liberal concession' to the neighbours' 'right to light'. When the library was opened, the main reading room on the first floor, thirty feet above the ground and twelve feet from all four boundaries, was noted for the pleasant contrast between the 'sullen roar' of Manchester and the 'internal cloister quietude of Rylands'. It was lit by oriel window
s in the reading alcoves supplemented by high clerestory
windows along both sides.
The building was constructed of Cumbrian sandstone
, the interior a delicately-shaded 'Shawk' stone (from Dalston
, varying between sand and a range of pinks) and the exterior, dark red Barbary stone from Penrith
, built around an internal steel framed structure and brick arched flooring. The red 'Barbary plain' sandstone, which Champneys believed 'had every chance of proving durable' for the exterior, was an unusual choice in late Victorian Manchester. It did, however, prove relatively successful, as an inspection by Champneys in 1900 revealed little softening by the 'effects of an atmosphere somewhat charged with chemicals' although, by 1909 some repairs were needed.
Champneys also suggested to Mrs. Rylands that, in order to protect the valuable books and manuscripts, 'it will be very desirable to keep the air in the interior of the building as clear and free from smoke and chemical matter (both of which are held in the air of Manchester) as may be possible'. The ground floor had been built with numerous air inlets and, although his client felt that it would prove impossible to exclude foul air, Champneys installed jute or hessian screens to trap the soot, with water sprays to catch the sulphur and other chemicals, which was a very advanced system for the period. Internal screen doors were employed in the entrance hall to prevent the air being 'fouled by the opening of the outer doors' with internal swing doors between the circulation areas and the main library to 'preserve the valuable books from injury. By 1900 the ventilation system had evolved to include electric fans to draw in air at pavement level through coke
screens sprayed with water.
Electric lighting was chosen as the cleanest and safest alternative to gas but, as the use of electricity was still in its early stages, the supply had to be generated on-site. This took some years to achieve due to the inexperience of local contractors, but the library became one of the first public buildings in Manchester to be lit by electricity and continued to generate its own supply until 1950.
The embellishments in the reading room and elsewhere included two large stained glass windows with portraits of many notable religious and secular figures, designed by C. E. Kempe
; a series of statues in the reading room by Bridgeman's of Lichfield; and bronzework in the art nouveau style by Singer of Frome. The portrait statues of John and Enriqueta Rylands in white marble, which can be seen in the reading room, were sculpted by John Cassidy
who also executed the allegorical group of 'Theology, Science and Art' in the vestibule.
Aside from the Main Library section and reading room with gallery above, the design incorporated Bible and map rooms on the first floor, and conference (lecture) and committee rooms on the ground floor. Part of the ground floor was planned as a lending library but never operated as such (a caretaker's house also formed part of the building until it was demolished for the extension of 1969).
Champneys was given the rare honour of speaking about the building at a general meeting of the Royal Institute of British Architects
and was awarded the Royal Gold Medal
in 1912. The library was granted listed building status on 25 January 1952, which was upgraded to Grade I on 6 June 1994.
There have been four extensions to the original building:
of Haigh Hall
in 1901. The Bibliotheca Lindesiana was one of the most impressive private collections in Britain at the time, both for its size and for the rarity of some of the materials it contained. The manuscript collections (including Chinese and Japanese printed books) were sold in 1901 to Mrs. Rylands for the John Rylands Library.
The collections include exquisite medieval illuminated manuscripts, examples of the earliest forms of European printing including a fine paper copy of the Gutenberg Bible
and a collection of books printed by William Caxton
, as well as the personal papers of distinguished historical figures including Elizabeth Gaskell, John Dalton and John Wesley.
Nothing is known of the early history of this copy of the Gutenberg Bible before it was acquired by the 2nd Earl Spencer.
The library also houses the papyrus
fragments known as the Rylands Papyri
and documents from North Africa
. The most notable of these are the St John Fragment, believed to be the oldest extant New Testament
document, Rylands Library Papyrus P52
, the earliest fragment of the canonical Gospel of John text, the earliest fragment of Septuagint - Papyrus Rylands 458
, and Papyrus Rylands 463
, a manuscript fragment of the apocryphal Gospel of Mary. Minuscule 702
, ε2010 (von Soden), is a Greek
minuscule manuscript
of the New Testament
, on parchment.
The collection of incunabula numbers about 4,500, of which about 3000 came from Lord Spencer's collection.
in 1899 and 1900 and Henry Guppy
between 1899 and 1948 (joint Librarian with Duff until 1900). Duff was responsible for the original library catalogue, compiled between 1893 and 1899: Catalogue of the Printed Books and Manuscripts in the John Rylands Library, Manchester; ed. E. G. Duff. Manchester: J. E. Cornish, 1899. 3 vols. Dr Guppy began publication of the Bulletin of the John Rylands Library in 1903; it later became a journal publishing academic articles and from autumn 1972 the title was changed to the Bulletin of the John Rylands University Library of Manchester (further slight changes have occurred since). Other noteworthy members of staff were James Rendel Harris, Alphonse Mingana
, the Semitic scholar Professor Edward Robertson (d. 1964) who was the third librarian, and Moses Tyson
, keeper of western manuscripts, afterwards librarian of Manchester University Library. Stella Butler, a medical historian, was head of special collections from 2000 until she moved to the University of Leeds
in 2011 as University Librarian.
and the Duchess of Cornwall came in recent times.
Gothic architecture
Gothic architecture is a style of architecture that flourished during the high and late medieval period. It evolved from Romanesque architecture and was succeeded by Renaissance architecture....
building on Deansgate
Deansgate
Deansgate is a main road through the city centre of Manchester, England. It runs roughly north–south in a near straight route through the western part of the city centre and is the longest road in the city centre at over one mile long....
in Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
, England. The library, which opened to the public in 1900, was founded by Mrs Enriqueta Augustina Rylands
Enriqueta Augustina Rylands
Enriqueta Augustina Rylands was the founder of the John Rylands Library, Manchester.Born in Havana, Cuba, she was one of five children including José Esteban , Blanca Catalina and Leocadia Fernanda...
in memory of her late husband, John Rylands
John Rylands
John Rylands was an English entrepreneur, and philanthropist. He was the owner of the largest textile manufacturing concern in the United Kingdom, and Manchester's first multi-millionaire....
. Since July 1972 the building has served as the Special Collections section of the John Rylands University Library
John Rylands University Library
The John Rylands University Library is the University of Manchester's library and information service. It was formed in July 1972 from the merger of the library of the Victoria University of Manchester with the John Rylands Library...
(JRUL).
The collections include exquisite medieval illuminated manuscripts, examples of the earliest forms of European printing, including the Gutenberg Bible
Gutenberg Bible
The Gutenberg Bible was the first major book printed with a movable type printing press, and marked the start of the "Gutenberg Revolution" and the age of the printed book. Widely praised for its high aesthetic and artistic qualities, the book has an iconic status...
, and the personal papers of notable local figures such as Elizabeth Gaskell
Elizabeth Gaskell
Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell, née Stevenson , often referred to simply as Mrs Gaskell, was a British novelist and short story writer during the Victorian era...
and John Dalton
John Dalton
John Dalton FRS was an English chemist, meteorologist and physicist. He is best known for his pioneering work in the development of modern atomic theory, and his research into colour blindness .-Early life:John Dalton was born into a Quaker family at Eaglesfield, near Cockermouth, Cumberland,...
. The library has been a Grade I listed building since 1994.
There have been four extensions to the building, the last of which was completed in 2007.
History
Enriqueta Rylands purchased a site on Deansgate, at the heart of Manchester city centreManchester City Centre
Manchester city centre is the central business district of Manchester, England. It lies within the Manchester Inner Ring Road, next to the River Irwell...
, in 1889 for her planned memorial library and commissioned a design from architect
Architect
An architect is a person trained in the planning, design and oversight of the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to offer or render services in connection with the design and construction of a building, or group of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the...
Basil Champneys
Basil Champneys
Basil Champneys was an architect and author whose more notable buildings include Newnham College, Cambridge, Manchester's John Rylands Library, Mansfield College, Oxford and Oriel College, Oxford's Rhodes Building.- Life :...
. Mrs Rylands had originally intended the library as a principally theological
Theology
Theology is the systematic and rational study of religion and its influences and of the nature of religious truths, or the learned profession acquired by completing specialized training in religious studies, usually at a university or school of divinity or seminary.-Definition:Augustine of Hippo...
collection and the building, which is a very fine example of Victorian Gothic, has much of the appearance of a church, although the actual concept was of an Oxford college library on a larger scale. The core of the library was formed around the collection of 40,000 books including many rarities assembled by George John Spencer
George Spencer, 2nd Earl Spencer
George John Spencer, 2nd Earl Spencer KG PC FRS FSA , styled Viscount Althorp from 1765 to 1783, was a British Whig politician...
, which Mrs Rylands purchased in 1892. The library was finally opened to readers on 1 January 1900.
The building
By the 19th century Manchester had become a prosperous textile manufacturing town and the demands of cotton manufacturing stimulated the growth of engineering and chemical industries. The town had become 'abominably filthy' and was 'often covered, especially during the winter, with dense fogs ... there is at all times a copious descent of soots and other impurities'. This, along with the overcrowded site, created many design problems for the architect. During the century most textile manufacture tended to move to newer mills in the other towns of the district while Manchester itself remained the centre of trading in cotton goods both for the home and foreign trades. Pollution from the burning of coal and gas remained a considerable nuisance even in the 1890s.The site, chosen by Mrs. Rylands to be in a central and fashionable part of the city, was awkward in shape and orientation and surrounded by tall warehouses, derelict cottages and narrow streets. The proposed position was criticised by many for its lack of surrounding space and the fact that the valuable manuscript collections were to be housed in "that dirty, uncomfortable city...[with] not enough light to read by, and the books they already have are wretchedly kept" (written in 1901 about the Crawford MSS.) Mrs. Rylands had negotiated Deeds of Agreement with her neighbours to fix the heights of future adjacent buildings. The permissible height of the buildings on the library site was fixed at just over thirty-four feet, but it was suggested that it could be taller at the centre if there was an open area around the edges, at the height of the buildings that had been demolished to make way for the construction. Champneys incorporated this suggestion into his design, building the two towers of the main facade twelve feet back from the boundary and keeping the entrance block low, to allow light into the library.
He also designed the building in a series of tiered steps with an almost flat roof to give a 'liberal concession' to the neighbours' 'right to light'. When the library was opened, the main reading room on the first floor, thirty feet above the ground and twelve feet from all four boundaries, was noted for the pleasant contrast between the 'sullen roar' of Manchester and the 'internal cloister quietude of Rylands'. It was lit by oriel window
Oriel window
Oriel windows are a form of bay window commonly found in Gothic architecture, which project from the main wall of the building but do not reach to the ground. Corbels or brackets are often used to support this kind of window. They are seen in combination with the Tudor arch. This type of window was...
s in the reading alcoves supplemented by high clerestory
Clerestory
Clerestory is an architectural term that historically denoted an upper level of a Roman basilica or of the nave of a Romanesque or Gothic church, the walls of which rise above the rooflines of the lower aisles and are pierced with windows. In modern usage, clerestory refers to any high windows...
windows along both sides.
The building was constructed of Cumbrian sandstone
Sandstone
Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized minerals or rock grains.Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust. Like sand, sandstone may be any colour, but the most common colours are tan, brown, yellow,...
, the interior a delicately-shaded 'Shawk' stone (from Dalston
Dalston, Cumbria
Dalston is a large village and civil parish within the City of Carlisle district of Cumbria, England. It is situated on the B5299 road about four miles south-south-west of Carlisle city centre, and approximately five miles from Junction 42 of the M6 motorway.The village has a population of around...
, varying between sand and a range of pinks) and the exterior, dark red Barbary stone from Penrith
Penrith, Cumbria
Penrith was an urban district between 1894 and 1974, when it was merged into Eden District.The authority's area was coterminous with the civil parish of Penrith although when the council was abolished Penrith became an unparished area....
, built around an internal steel framed structure and brick arched flooring. The red 'Barbary plain' sandstone, which Champneys believed 'had every chance of proving durable' for the exterior, was an unusual choice in late Victorian Manchester. It did, however, prove relatively successful, as an inspection by Champneys in 1900 revealed little softening by the 'effects of an atmosphere somewhat charged with chemicals' although, by 1909 some repairs were needed.
Champneys also suggested to Mrs. Rylands that, in order to protect the valuable books and manuscripts, 'it will be very desirable to keep the air in the interior of the building as clear and free from smoke and chemical matter (both of which are held in the air of Manchester) as may be possible'. The ground floor had been built with numerous air inlets and, although his client felt that it would prove impossible to exclude foul air, Champneys installed jute or hessian screens to trap the soot, with water sprays to catch the sulphur and other chemicals, which was a very advanced system for the period. Internal screen doors were employed in the entrance hall to prevent the air being 'fouled by the opening of the outer doors' with internal swing doors between the circulation areas and the main library to 'preserve the valuable books from injury. By 1900 the ventilation system had evolved to include electric fans to draw in air at pavement level through coke
Coke
Coke may refer to:* Coca-Cola, a soft drink originally based on coca leaf extract** The Coca-Cola Company, makers of this drink** Cola, any soft drink similar to Coca-Cola** Soft drink, any non-alcoholic carbonated beverage* Coca, a plant...
screens sprayed with water.
Electric lighting was chosen as the cleanest and safest alternative to gas but, as the use of electricity was still in its early stages, the supply had to be generated on-site. This took some years to achieve due to the inexperience of local contractors, but the library became one of the first public buildings in Manchester to be lit by electricity and continued to generate its own supply until 1950.
The embellishments in the reading room and elsewhere included two large stained glass windows with portraits of many notable religious and secular figures, designed by C. E. Kempe
Charles Eamer Kempe
Charles Eamer Kempe was a well-known Victorian stained glass designer. After attending Twyford School, he studied for the priesthood at Pembroke College, Oxford, but it became clear that his severe stammer would be an impediment to preaching...
; a series of statues in the reading room by Bridgeman's of Lichfield; and bronzework in the art nouveau style by Singer of Frome. The portrait statues of John and Enriqueta Rylands in white marble, which can be seen in the reading room, were sculpted by John Cassidy
John Cassidy (artist)
John Cassidy , Irish sculptor and painter, was born in Littlewood Commons, Slane, County Meath. He moved to Dublin at the age of 20 to find work. In Dublin he attended art classes at night and won a scholarship to study in Milan, Italy...
who also executed the allegorical group of 'Theology, Science and Art' in the vestibule.
Aside from the Main Library section and reading room with gallery above, the design incorporated Bible and map rooms on the first floor, and conference (lecture) and committee rooms on the ground floor. Part of the ground floor was planned as a lending library but never operated as such (a caretaker's house also formed part of the building until it was demolished for the extension of 1969).
Champneys was given the rare honour of speaking about the building at a general meeting of the Royal Institute of British Architects
Royal Institute of British Architects
The Royal Institute of British Architects is a professional body for architects primarily in the United Kingdom, but also internationally.-History:...
and was awarded the Royal Gold Medal
Royal Gold Medal
The Royal Gold Medal for architecture is awarded annually by the Royal Institute of British Architects on behalf of the British monarch, in recognition of an individual's or group's substantial contribution to international architecture....
in 1912. The library was granted listed building status on 25 January 1952, which was upgraded to Grade I on 6 June 1994.
There have been four extensions to the original building:
- The first was designed by the original architect and completed in 1920.
- The Lady Wolfson BuildingIsaac WolfsonSir Isaac Wolfson, 1st Baronet FRS was a businessman and philanthropist. He was managing director of Great Universal Stores 1932-1947 and chairman 1947-1987. He established the Wolfson Foundation to distribute most of his fortune to good causes. Great Universal Stores was a mail order business...
opened in 1962. - A third extension was built to the south of the first in 1969 but this was demolished in 2004.
- A substantial new wing was built on the south-west of the site between 2004 and 2007 with the aid of funding from a number of sources. This project (Unlocking the Rylands) also included refurbishment of parts of the existing building and the erection of a pitched roof over the reinforced concrete roof. A pitched roof was part of Champneys's original design but was not built as Mrs. Rylands was advised that an internal stone vault would reduce the fire risk.
The collections
The foundations of the Library's collections were the Althorp Library of Lord Spencer acquired in 1892 and a part of the Bibliotheca Lindesiana purchased from James Lindsay, 26th Earl of CrawfordJames Lindsay, 26th Earl of Crawford
James Ludovic Lindsay, 26th Earl of Crawford and 9th Earl of Balcarres was a British astronomer, politician, bibliophile and philatelist. A member of the Royal Society, Crawford was elected president of the Royal Astronomical Society in 1878. He was a prominent Freemason.-Family:The Earl was the...
of Haigh Hall
Haigh Hall
Haigh Hall is a historic country house in Haigh, Greater Manchester, England. It has been designated by English Heritage as a Grade II* listed building. The hall, built between 1827 and 1840 by James Lindsay, 7th Earl of Balcarres, replaced an ancient manor house and was his family's home...
in 1901. The Bibliotheca Lindesiana was one of the most impressive private collections in Britain at the time, both for its size and for the rarity of some of the materials it contained. The manuscript collections (including Chinese and Japanese printed books) were sold in 1901 to Mrs. Rylands for the John Rylands Library.
The collections include exquisite medieval illuminated manuscripts, examples of the earliest forms of European printing including a fine paper copy of the Gutenberg Bible
Gutenberg Bible
The Gutenberg Bible was the first major book printed with a movable type printing press, and marked the start of the "Gutenberg Revolution" and the age of the printed book. Widely praised for its high aesthetic and artistic qualities, the book has an iconic status...
and a collection of books printed by William Caxton
William Caxton
William Caxton was an English merchant, diplomat, writer and printer. As far as is known, he was the first English person to work as a printer and the first to introduce a printing press into England...
, as well as the personal papers of distinguished historical figures including Elizabeth Gaskell, John Dalton and John Wesley.
Nothing is known of the early history of this copy of the Gutenberg Bible before it was acquired by the 2nd Earl Spencer.
The library also houses the papyrus
Papyrus
Papyrus is a thick paper-like material produced from the pith of the papyrus plant, Cyperus papyrus, a wetland sedge that was once abundant in the Nile Delta of Egypt....
fragments known as the Rylands Papyri
Rylands Papyri
The Rylands Papyri are a collection of thousands of papyrus fragments and documents from North Africa and Greece housed at the John Rylands University Library, Manchester, UK...
and documents from North Africa
North Africa
North Africa or Northern Africa is the northernmost region of the African continent, linked by the Sahara to Sub-Saharan Africa. Geopolitically, the United Nations definition of Northern Africa includes eight countries or territories; Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, South Sudan, Sudan, Tunisia, and...
. The most notable of these are the St John Fragment, believed to be the oldest extant New Testament
New Testament
The New Testament is the second major division of the Christian biblical canon, the first such division being the much longer Old Testament....
document, Rylands Library Papyrus P52
Rylands Library Papyrus P52
The Rylands Library Papyrus P52, also known as the St John's fragment, is a fragment from a papyrus codex, measuring only 3.5 by 2.5 inches at its widest; and conserved with the Rylands Papyri at the John Rylands University Library , Manchester, UK...
, the earliest fragment of the canonical Gospel of John text, the earliest fragment of Septuagint - Papyrus Rylands 458
Papyrus Rylands 458
Papyrus Rylands 458 is a copy of the Pentateuch in a Greek version of the Hebrew Bible known as the Septuagint. It is a papyrus manuscript in roll form. The manuscript has been assigned palaeographically to the 2nd century BC and it is the oldest known manuscript of the Greek Bible...
, and Papyrus Rylands 463
Papyrus Rylands 463
Papyrus Rylands 463 is a copy of the apocryphal Gospel of Mary in Greek. It is a papyrus manuscript in roll form. The manuscript has been assigned palaeographically to the 3rd century. It is one of the three manuscripts and one of the two Greek manuscripts of the Gospel of Mary...
, a manuscript fragment of the apocryphal Gospel of Mary. Minuscule 702
Minuscule 702
Minuscule 702 , ε2010 , is a Greek minuscule manuscript of the New Testament, on parchment. Palaeographically it has been assigned to the 12th century. The manuscript has complex contents.- Description :...
, ε2010 (von Soden), is a Greek
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
minuscule manuscript
Manuscript
A manuscript or handwrite is written information that has been manually created by someone or some people, such as a hand-written letter, as opposed to being printed or reproduced some other way...
of the New Testament
New Testament
The New Testament is the second major division of the Christian biblical canon, the first such division being the much longer Old Testament....
, on parchment.
The collection of incunabula numbers about 4,500, of which about 3000 came from Lord Spencer's collection.
Staff
Librarians at John Rylands before its merger include Edward Gordon DuffEdward Gordon Duff
Edward Gordon Duff was an English bibliographer and librarian known for his works on early English printing....
in 1899 and 1900 and Henry Guppy
Henry Guppy (librarian)
Henry Guppy CBE was Librarian of the John Rylands Library in Manchester from 1899 until his death in 1948....
between 1899 and 1948 (joint Librarian with Duff until 1900). Duff was responsible for the original library catalogue, compiled between 1893 and 1899: Catalogue of the Printed Books and Manuscripts in the John Rylands Library, Manchester; ed. E. G. Duff. Manchester: J. E. Cornish, 1899. 3 vols. Dr Guppy began publication of the Bulletin of the John Rylands Library in 1903; it later became a journal publishing academic articles and from autumn 1972 the title was changed to the Bulletin of the John Rylands University Library of Manchester (further slight changes have occurred since). Other noteworthy members of staff were James Rendel Harris, Alphonse Mingana
Alphonse Mingana
Alphonse Mingana; was an Assyrian theologian, historian, Syriacist, orientalist and a former priest who is best known for collecting and preserving the Mingana Collection of ancient Middle Eastern manuscripts at Birmingham...
, the Semitic scholar Professor Edward Robertson (d. 1964) who was the third librarian, and Moses Tyson
Moses Tyson
Moses Tyson , historian and librarian, was keeper of western manuscripts at the John Rylands Library 1927-1935 and from 1935 to 1965 librarian of the Manchester University Library...
, keeper of western manuscripts, afterwards librarian of Manchester University Library. Stella Butler, a medical historian, was head of special collections from 2000 until she moved to the University of Leeds
University of Leeds
The University of Leeds is a British Redbrick university located in the city of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England...
in 2011 as University Librarian.
Visitors
Many notable people including heads of state have visited the library. Charles, Prince of WalesCharles, Prince of Wales
Prince Charles, Prince of Wales is the heir apparent and eldest son of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. Since 1958 his major title has been His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales. In Scotland he is additionally known as The Duke of Rothesay...
and the Duchess of Cornwall came in recent times.
External links
- Library webpages; guide to collections; etc.
- John Cassidy, Manchester Sculptor; compiled by Charlie Hulme and Lis Nicolson
- Friends of the John Rylands (a charitable organization which supports the Library)