Americans React to Manchester Libraries: Portico, Chetham's & John Rylands

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  • เผยแพร่เมื่อ 9 ม.ค. 2024
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    Reacting To My Roots
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    In this video we react to three Manchester libraries. These libraries are incredible. So beautiful with a rich history and the architecture of each library is amazing. The Manchester libraries we learned about are the Portico library, Chethams library and The John Ryland's library. It's mind boggling that one city would have this many awesome libraries. No doubt that Manchester UK is full of book lovers. The Cathedral to Knowledge proves this!
    Thanks for watching. If you enjoyed this reaction please give this video a thumbs up, share your thoughts in the comments and click the subscribe button to follow my journey to learn about my British and Irish ancestry.
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ความคิดเห็น • 676

  • @jollops
    @jollops 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +131

    Take a look at Central Library in Manchester, can’t believe they didn’t show it, it’s round building, I did a lot of studying there when I was a student. Manchester is very proud of Rylands library! Robert Peel set up one of the world’s first ever police force.

    • @G0Lg0Th4N
      @G0Lg0Th4N 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +24

      Just to chime in on your comment, for the benefit of our American cousins. They were known as Bobbie's police force hence the British Bobby became a common nickname.

    • @janetramsdale4478
      @janetramsdale4478 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +16

      And Peelers

    • @gillfox9899
      @gillfox9899 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +9

      I spent quite a lot of time in the central library in Manchester doing family history searches when I first moved here. Then the library was shut for renovation and I haven't been back yet.
      Another library to take a look at is the Central library in Liverpool.
      Apparently there are 24 public libraries in Manchester and nearly 150 in the Greater Manchester area.

    • @davidm159
      @davidm159 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +3

      That's a great library!! I used to work around the corner near Piccadilly gardens

    • @glastonbury4304
      @glastonbury4304 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +10

      I know...Central library not getting a mention is really odd!!

  • @jerry2357
    @jerry2357 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +59

    Robert Peel was a Prime Minister of the UK in the early 19th Century. He created the police force (which is why they are sometimes called "Bobbies" or "Peelers") and repealed the Corn Laws, which made imported food available to the industrial cities.

    • @russellfrancis6294
      @russellfrancis6294 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +4

      Yes Sir Robert Peel was Prime Minister from 1834- 1846, so I learned from the BBC Radio 4 programme the Prime Ministers.

    • @Colgan1
      @Colgan1 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +5

      Yep, he was from Bury. We have a statue of him just outside the church and a few pubs, one baring his name.

  • @tonyduffield1791
    @tonyduffield1791 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +30

    John Rylands library was renovated and extended in the early 2000's and at that time I worked with stained glass and I got to work on pretty much all of the lead lights and the two large stained glass windows seen in this video in the main hall. It truly is an amazing place

  • @julianl6369
    @julianl6369 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +14

    Having lived in the Manchester area for decades, it's sometimes easy to forget when life gets on top of you that you're surrounded by such beauty.

  • @jerry2357
    @jerry2357 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +19

    Hay on Wye is well known for second-hand bookshops.

    • @TanyaRando
      @TanyaRando 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +2

      Yep, this is the one, and they have the festival.

  • @tompriestley3133
    @tompriestley3133 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +10

    Chetham’s Library has been in continuous use as a public library for over 350 years. It is housed in a beautiful sandstone building dating from 1421

  • @ELRMushroom
    @ELRMushroom 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +59

    The main central library has a really cool giant circular reading room upstairs with a fantastic domed ceiling. Worth a visit as well if you're here in Manchester. The pub underneath the Portico was a favourite for a while.

    • @susansmiles2242
      @susansmiles2242 5 หลายเดือนก่อน

      Is the theatre still underneath the library?

    • @ELRMushroom
      @ELRMushroom 5 หลายเดือนก่อน

      It closed in 2010 when the Library was refurbishedm and the library theatre company and cornerhouse both moved to the new theartre at HOME@@susansmiles2242

    • @newhalllane
      @newhalllane 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

      As a student in Manchester in the 80's I spent many nights in the central library. It had a wonderful atmosphere - I preferred it to the uni library which was ultra modern.

    • @felixhenson9926
      @felixhenson9926 5 หลายเดือนก่อน

      yesss! i love its electric moving bookshelves too!

    • @weejackrussell
      @weejackrussell 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +2

      I used to live in Manchester and that central library is worth a visit. It,s really easy to find ana Albert Square and the town hall nearby are well worth exploring.

  • @DaveWinterbottom
    @DaveWinterbottom 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +24

    I'm Manchester born and I have never been in the Portico library. So thanks for reminding me that I need to go. Glad you enjoyed learning about the great libraries of Manchester.

    • @garybradbury9526
      @garybradbury9526 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +2

      Ardwick here mate

    • @420hillage4
      @420hillage4 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

      Moston ere mate

    • @garybradbury9526
      @garybradbury9526 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +2

      @@420hillage4 nice one ar kid 👍

    • @Shellytrifle.
      @Shellytrifle. 5 หลายเดือนก่อน

      Met to its embarrassing 😢

  • @caroleearnshaw32149
    @caroleearnshaw32149 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +55

    I live in an old cotton mill town just outside Manchester. There is so much history in the UK and we take it for granted often because it’s on our doorstep so thank you for reminding me with this video ❤️ x

    • @felixhenson9926
      @felixhenson9926 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

      Do you live in Burnley by any chance?

    • @susansmiles2242
      @susansmiles2242 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

      @@felixhenson9926 anywhere within a 10 mile radius of Manchester (if not further) was a cotton mill town. The one I live near had over 400 mills and produced (I think) 20% of the country’s cotton cloth

    • @willrich3908
      @willrich3908 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +2

      @@susansmiles2242 that'll be Oldham I guess. I grew up there.

    • @Salfordian
      @Salfordian 5 หลายเดือนก่อน

      @@willrich3908 Oldham is Greater Manchester lol

    • @willrich3908
      @willrich3908 5 หลายเดือนก่อน

      @@Salfordian re-read the thread lol

  • @danielferguson3784
    @danielferguson3784 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +39

    The town with all the book shops is Hay on Wey, on the English/Welsh border. It also has a yearly book festival, & contains numerous bookshops. Robert Peel, founder of the Police force.
    That is why they are called 'bobbies'. A cathedral of learning. Cotton money, from slave worked plantations in the Americas. Manchester worked the cotton into cloth, which then was sold to the world. Many Georgian/Victorian buildings etc in the UK were created because of the wealth of the British Empire. The John Ryland's is Victorian neo-Gothic of c.1900.
    As a university library access may be restricted to students, or to certain times/days.
    There are likely to be several local libraries around Manchester, though many around the country have closed in recent times through lack of resources, pandemics, the cost of living & energy price rises etc. Hopefully these important regional libraries can keep going long into the future, even though young people today have turned away from books in favour of screens, perhaps they will be retained as curiosities in the future.

    • @janphillips2534
      @janphillips2534 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +13

      Hay on Wye.

    • @user-gu2hk8sg1p
      @user-gu2hk8sg1p 5 หลายเดือนก่อน

      Yes the Wey, pronounced way, runs through Surrey.@@janphillips2534

    • @BlueTexel
      @BlueTexel 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +5

      Hay on Wye also has the literary festival at end of May every year. Never been to the festival, but Hay is lovely.

    • @wessexdruid7598
      @wessexdruid7598 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +5

      @@BlueTexel As is the Wye valley.

    • @reactingtomyroots
      @reactingtomyroots  5 หลายเดือนก่อน +2

      Thanks for the info! It's definitely a place that's on Lindsay's bucketlist. :)

  • @steveclarke6257
    @steveclarke6257 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +29

    Steve, we actually have the main central library ( if you look on Google maps it's the round building next to the town hall) operated by our council as well....so there are "Four" libraries in the "city centre" here in Manchester

    • @BlackLiger788
      @BlackLiger788 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +9

      There's also the Working Class Movement Library here in salford.

  • @philpalmer8684
    @philpalmer8684 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +11

    I'm from North Manchester and would also mention the Central Library (as some others have). It is much newer (built in the 1930's) but has a very impressive Great Reading Room. One thing I should mention if you are thinking of visiting Manchester any time is that much of the city centre is very modern/renovated - you won't find many really old buildings. I am 69 and I can remember the city in the 1960's. At that time it was still quite industrial and most weren't the sort of buildings that you would preserve so they got demolished. There is still plenty to occupy you for a couple of days and it is a great base for exploring North Wales, the Lake District, the Peak District and lots of National Trust properties in the North West.
    BTW Steve don't feel bad about your first pronunciation for Chetham's Library. The library is next to the very famous Chetham's School of Music and guess what? The school has always preferred the name CHETham's School of Music (sounds like CHET Atkins) but the Library has always used the version that sounds like "CHEAT"ham's and there is a district in North Manchester called Cheetham Hill (pronounced like the library). I have always wondered how Humphrey Chetham pronounced his own name.
    Also BTW; Victorian industrial development doesn't have to look as depressing as some of the mills did. Have a look at some of the images from Crossness Pumping Station. This was built to pump sewage from London into the treatment works and is amazing.
    Lindsay. on a library-related theme - I don't know if you use Twitter/X but if you do then follow Orkney Library and Shetland Library. These are the best Library Twitter accounts in existence.

    • @mikeilkycook6832
      @mikeilkycook6832 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

      North Manchester? Blackley, perchance? Moston? Crumpsall?
      Anyway, don't forget the pubs, both the historic and the just authentically Mancunian ones:
      The Marble Arch; The Lower Turk's Head; Bar Fringe; Mr Thomas's Chop House; The City Arms;; The Britons Protection; Sinclair's Oyster Bar - the list goes on.
      My uncle, a lifelong student of politics, came from Australia to Manchester on a visit and never made it past The Old Wellington to Chetham's Library to do the tour and see where Marx sat in discourse with Engels. So enamoured was he of the historic (albeit relocated and rebuilt) old pub.

  • @cathyb46
    @cathyb46 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +12

    Daughter was at Chethams from age 8 until 18 as it is a music school. Studied Vocal, flute and piano. You can go to concerts there and they now have their own new performance place too attached. Its famous in Manchester known as Chets.

  • @muddlepond
    @muddlepond 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +5

    I live in Manchester and I've visited all three libraries. They are even better than they look here. You can feel the history, you can smell it, it's incredible. If you ever manage to get to England, you must visit them, and you will be gobsmacked by their beauty.

  • @lottie2525
    @lottie2525 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +32

    If you guys ever come to visit the UK you need to check out National Trust properties. You'd love them based on your reactions to old buildings.

    • @reactingtomyroots
      @reactingtomyroots  5 หลายเดือนก่อน +4

      Thanks! We'll definitely have to look into those more.

  • @janescott4574
    @janescott4574 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +18

    In my small village on the ashdown forest we have changed the disused red phone box to a mini library. Only one rule,take a book out, replace it with another!

    • @reactingtomyroots
      @reactingtomyroots  5 หลายเดือนก่อน +4

      Love that! Such a cool use of the phone boxes

    • @richardwest6358
      @richardwest6358 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

      These old Red Phone Boxs have now found many uses up & down the country. The mini libraries are very popular as is their use for holding Defibrillators for emergency use.

    • @hummingbird4934
      @hummingbird4934 3 หลายเดือนก่อน

      Ooh where are you? I’m up the road from the forest so will have to check it out!

    • @janescott4574
      @janescott4574 3 หลายเดือนก่อน

      @@hummingbird4934 Nutley!

  • @ShinxieITS
    @ShinxieITS 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +9

    Something else in Manchester that's great for British cultural history is the museum of Science and Industry, It's great for a day out and the little one would love it with tonnes of interactive things for her to do

  • @alisonrodger3360
    @alisonrodger3360 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +62

    I'm with Lindsay, if you have so many books you need a special ladder then you've made it in life!😄

    • @grahamstubbs4962
      @grahamstubbs4962 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +9

      If you need Fred Dibnah to climb it, you've got too many books :-)

    • @reactingtomyroots
      @reactingtomyroots  5 หลายเดือนก่อน +3

      haha, don't encourage her! :)

  • @terricollins8450
    @terricollins8450 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +19

    Chetham library bought me to tears and as a person who comes from England I'm ashamed to say I'd never heard of it, something I'm going to have to visit.Thanks so much for bringing it to my attention ❤️

    • @felixhenson9926
      @felixhenson9926 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +6

      Don't worry, I was born and raised in Manchester and spent a lot of time in our libraries and had never heard of it!

    • @debbiem7337
      @debbiem7337 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +3

      It's so worth a visit but make sure you book the guides are fantastic

    • @vallee3140
      @vallee3140 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +5

      we dont appreciate what we have do we?

    • @truebluehube
      @truebluehube 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

      It is where Engels and Marx wrote the Communist Manifesto, you can see the actual table they sat at.

  • @Vandalle.
    @Vandalle. 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +9

    This is one of your best videos. If you love books, and you love old buildings, then these kinds of libraries are just magical. I love seeing people who really appreciate this stuff, and you two certainly do.

  • @dukedex5043
    @dukedex5043 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +41

    New York City was actually built to model Manchester. A lot of movies set in New York are actually filmed in Manchester, for that reason.

    • @420hillage4
      @420hillage4 5 หลายเดือนก่อน

      Your lying

    • @elisamcgowan4774
      @elisamcgowan4774 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

      I didn't know that, thank you for the info).

    • @420hillage4
      @420hillage4 5 หลายเดือนก่อน

      @elisamcgowan4774 it's a lie bro he's chatting out his arse

    • @louisemiller4970
      @louisemiller4970 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

      That's why they choose Glasgow cause that's built on a grid system, World War Z, Batwoman, Indiana Jones movie

    • @okbutthenagain.9402
      @okbutthenagain.9402 5 หลายเดือนก่อน

      @@420hillage4 Prove him wrong!. Oh wait.

  • @trevorgrimes7273
    @trevorgrimes7273 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +7

    Hi. The town with over twenty bookshops is Hay on Wye in Wales

  • @jackiea8394
    @jackiea8394 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +23

    Lindsay, you mentioned old book stores as well so I wonder if you have seen the 1987 movie 84 Charing Cross Road with Ann Bancroft and Anthony Hopkins? It’s a wonderful, gentle story about an American lady and her love of literature who contacts a book shop in London and their relationship through letters that builds over the years. Curl up with a cup of tea and Cadburys bar of chocolate one rainy afternoon!

    • @reactingtomyroots
      @reactingtomyroots  5 หลายเดือนก่อน +2

      Definitely sounds like something she'd enjoy! :)

    • @chixma7011
      @chixma7011 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +4

      The film is based on a true story. It’s utterly charming and I recommend a box of tissues standing by as well as the bar of chocolate. 😢

    • @carltaylor6452
      @carltaylor6452 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +2

      I watched this again the other day. I found it free to view on TH-cam. 🙂

    • @jackiea8394
      @jackiea8394 5 หลายเดือนก่อน

      Yes, I watched it recently on TH-cam which reminded me to mention it to Lindsay! 😁@@carltaylor6452

    • @Salix631
      @Salix631 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

      Or read the book, lovely story

  • @susanashcroft2674
    @susanashcroft2674 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +12

    I could see Lindsay getting so immersed in these libraries that her whole time in the UK could easily be spent there and Steve wandering round looking at all the architecture. This is why people always say the UK may be small in size, but boy we are packed to the rafters with things to visit, see and do. So including Sophia, it is going to be interesting how you are going to plan and choose where to go and what to see, which may mean more visits to the UK 😃😃😃

    • @gillfox9899
      @gillfox9899 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

      A few years ago I was privileged to stay with descendants of the philanthropist Andrew Carnegie. He was responsible for funding over 650 libraries in the UK and opened some himself. Some of them are beautiful buildings.
      Another set of items we have near where I live is the largest collection of Tiffany glass in Europe. I've often spent time looking at the various pieces, photographing and painting them. I was also present when 21 pieces were prepared to be taken down to London for an exhibition

    • @reactingtomyroots
      @reactingtomyroots  5 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

      Yeah, it's definitely going to be hard to narrow it down! :)

  • @howardgrice6682
    @howardgrice6682 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +18

    Hi Steve and Lindsay, thanks again for a brilliant reaction it makes my day when you two pop up on the screen because I know I'm in for a treat. Manchester is my home town and was the heart of the Industrial Revolution, the city has so much history it's a must visit. I'm actually going to John Rylands and Chethams next week I'm taking a friend from Yorkshire who has never been, we are also going to the Museum of Science and Industry which is amazing and houses the oldest passenger railway station in the world. If you can find a video of the Museum it would be a great reaction. There are a lot of videos on TH-cam that show Chethams and John Rylands in a little more detail so that you can see a lot more before you visit. If Linsay wants to come with us next week I'll pick her up from Manchester airport 😂 xx

    • @reactingtomyroots
      @reactingtomyroots  5 หลายเดือนก่อน +5

      Oh man! I'm not even going to tell her because I'd probably never get her back 😂

  • @TheHorzabora
    @TheHorzabora 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +4

    My dad was a member of a very similar library in Belfast - I tragically forget the name now - but in his later days he went their practically daily, and the staff all knew him. It had the most amazing atmosphere and made a huge impression on me as an early teen.

  • @Salfordian
    @Salfordian 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +3

    BTW if you liked that ceiling 5:40 you'd like the pub at Manchester Victoria Station

  • @johnmclear522
    @johnmclear522 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +5

    You can easily walk around the library and see books from the 13th century all behind a locked bookcase, it is a magical place, and for our American friends, across the road is a statue of Abraham Lincoln and a plaque with the reasons why it is there.

  • @Yandarval
    @Yandarval 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +7

    Rylands was built in nine years 1889-1900. It cost £200,000 at the time. In late 2023 numbers, thats £21,675,514.84. Which is $27,586,818.26 USD. I used the 1895 year for this calculation.

  • @richardjames3022
    @richardjames3022 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +5

    if I ruled the world, god forbid, I would make it a criminal offence to damage any book. When I moved out of my one bedroom flat to a house, after working overseas the removal company said that they had never seen so many books in a one bedroom flat and had to arrange for a larger lorry to move them. When I returned to the UK, after 10 years the removal company remarked that they did remember me for all the books

  • @Judep4237
    @Judep4237 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +5

    As a Mancunian this video makes me happy. Thank you for reminding me of the treasures on my doorstep 😊

  • @paulwright9749
    @paulwright9749 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +2

    I walk past these libraries every day. The John Roland’s library is magical.

  • @andrewobrien6671
    @andrewobrien6671 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +8

    So glad you did this, I've always been pushing for you to this. Central Library is a also a wonderful building. Chethams Library is where Karl Marx and Josef Engels first met to lay down the basis of the communist manifesto after witnessing the poverty in Manchester and you can see the reading desk they sat at, It is also home to the world renowned Chethams School of Music. All these places are within 15 minutes walking distance from each other, including Central Library and are free to use. Manchester has a proud history of philanthropy.

  • @greedycapitalist8590
    @greedycapitalist8590 3 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

    All three of those libraries are fairly close together, right in the town centre. Being as Manchester was a major manufacturing centre, communications hub and even a sea port during the 40s, you can imagine that area got heavy attention from the Luftwaffe - one reason why a lot of the surrounding buildings are so modern. It's a minor miracle that all three of those buildings survived.

  • @janicefinn1745
    @janicefinn1745 2 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

    I live in Manchester and these libraries are wonderful. You have to book to look around Cheethams library, but the other two you can just turn up and enjoy. The Central library is our main lending library and is another outstanding building

  • @0KiteEatingTree0
    @0KiteEatingTree0 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +12

    Many local libraries in the UK have been closed due to underfunding. The library I grew up with in Crouch End, Hornsey Library, is a small library, but unique in its somewhat brutalist design. Nearby now here in Telford, thankfully we still have several libraries in most of the areas.

    • @reactingtomyroots
      @reactingtomyroots  5 หลายเดือนก่อน +4

      Hate to hear when libraries close down! They're such important parts of a community.

  • @ChuchiiChoo
    @ChuchiiChoo 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +9

    liverpools central library has a grade 2 listed Picton Reading Room and Hornby Library along with 15,000 rare books, its an old yet modern library i think is worth looking at

    • @reactingtomyroots
      @reactingtomyroots  5 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

      Thanks for the suggestion! I'll add to our list

  • @Lily_The_Pink972
    @Lily_The_Pink972 24 วันที่ผ่านมา

    Love your reactions to our wonderful libraries. Manchester was the cradle of the industrial revolution and at the forefront of so much innovation. There's so much to ser and do.

  • @stevieinselby
    @stevieinselby 2 วันที่ผ่านมา +1

    As well as Hay-on-Wye (in the Welsh borders), the other town to visit if you like second-hand bookshops is Alnwick (pron. Annick) in Northumberland, north east England, which has the renowned Barter Books in its old disused railway station, and is a real treasure trove for the connoisseur bibliophile.

  • @mehitabel6564
    @mehitabel6564 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +4

    It is very timely that you show these Manchester libraries, since my partner and I are planning a visit to Manchester in the next month, including Chethams and John Rylands. Chethams Library actually does do out-of-hours evening tours, including the secret parts. Their night-time tours offered in December, just before Christmas, unfortunately our schedules just didn't align. So we are looking forward to February 2024!

    • @mikeilkycook6832
      @mikeilkycook6832 5 หลายเดือนก่อน

      @mehitabel6564 - here's a copy and paste of a reply I just made to another local commenter:
      Don't forget the pubs, both the historic and the just authentically Mancunian ones:
      The Marble Arch; The Lower Turk's Head; Bar Fringe; Mr Thomas's Chop House; The City Arms; The Britons Protection; Sinclair's Oyster Bar - the list goes on.
      My uncle, a lifelong student of politics, came from Australia to Manchester on a visit and never made it past The Old Wellington to Chetham's Library to do the tour and see where Marx sat in discourse with Engels. so enamoured was he of the historic (albeit relocated and rebuilt) old pub.
      Hope you enjoy your visit.

  • @martinwebb1681
    @martinwebb1681 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +3

    The Chetham's library building was built in 1421 and became a library in 1653.

  • @FL200-gv7hk
    @FL200-gv7hk 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +5

    Lovely video. You will learn that the some of best old time British culture is found up north- London and and the West Country are brilliant in their own ways but there is such a warm feeling in our northern towns and cities. Old buildings, extremely friendly normal people but still exciting pubs, restaurants and things to do.

  • @daveofyorkshire301
    @daveofyorkshire301 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +20

    A library is a cathedral of knowledge. If you visit a church why not a library.
    As for the devils foot print, your doing scientific experiments no doubt with an open flame and burn the table, wouldn't you blame a demon? Especially if Elizabeth I is involved as she was capable of extreme ruthless cruelty...

    • @jillosler9353
      @jillosler9353 5 หลายเดือนก่อน

      As were all her predecessors. If you saw your mother beheaded and your sister (Mary known as 'Bloody Mary') going on a killing spree because your religion was different to hers do you really think you would be sweetness and light???

    • @chrisshelley3027
      @chrisshelley3027 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

      Shame he was talking about lie berries though, I wonder how many times he says doood 🤔
      Became too many, couldn't watch anymore.

  • @karenperry8834
    @karenperry8834 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +4

    It took ten years to build John Rylands, it was completed by 1st Jan 1900. There are many architecturally beautiful buildings in Manchester

    • @Lily_The_Pink972
      @Lily_The_Pink972 24 วันที่ผ่านมา +1

      In the 1960s I went to see the Dead Sea Scrolls exhibition there

  • @rintinmc637
    @rintinmc637 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +2

    I work in Central Manchester and John Rylands is my favourite place to spend lunchtimes. It takes you away from the stresses if modern life. We have some wonderful libraries , art galleries and museums but don’t tell the southerners....they think its grim up north 😂

  • @ekatep6362
    @ekatep6362 4 หลายเดือนก่อน +5

    I love Manchester, I'm a Manc, and loved growing up there and love going back up there. Haven't met a person who has been and not loved it.

    • @braddo7270
      @braddo7270 14 วันที่ผ่านมา +1

      People prefer manny to London nowadays, even my persian and arab mates visit here instead of london! ❤

    • @naheed03
      @naheed03 2 ชั่วโมงที่ผ่านมา

      Love to hear this as a mancunian! Though I live in Leeds now

  • @peterculbertson8547
    @peterculbertson8547 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +3

    The main thing I take from watching these reaction videos is just how little I know about the country I live in. It’s like i become almost blasé about all the magnificent and historical sites on my own doorstep. It encourages me to get out and witness these places myself. FYI Robert Peel was a prime minister of England and best known for forming the police force in our country. He also came from my hometown of Tamworth.

  • @anthonydarby3973
    @anthonydarby3973 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +9

    Hiya guys,,so glad you checked out the Rylands Library here in Manchester UK the city I was born and still live in today. A city full of history, the home of some of the biggest football teams in the world, the best music and bands. Check out the beautiful Manchester cathedral and believe it or not some of the most amazing countryside and nature reserves and canal walks. Thanx again for your reactions, take care, Tony ❤

    • @anthonydarby3973
      @anthonydarby3973 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +2

      Home of one of the best artists ever L.S.LOWERY,❤

    • @poppletop8331
      @poppletop8331 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

      Is The John Rylands Library free to all residents of Manchester?

    • @anthonydarby3973
      @anthonydarby3973 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +4

      Its free to everyone

    • @poppletop8331
      @poppletop8331 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +2

      @@anthonydarby3973 Thanks.😉

    • @GayJayU26
      @GayJayU26 5 หลายเดือนก่อน

      Chet hams is where Engels met Carl Marx to set out there Communist Manifesto. Cheethams is a must.

  • @TheNoobilator
    @TheNoobilator 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +4

    The town you were thinking about was probably Hay-On-Wye Lindsay! I have been there on holiday to stay several times now, and it is just a book-lovers _heaven_ ! It is also where my love of antique maps was born as a child when I first visited the antique map store in Hay-On-Wye! A charming town, wonderful old book shops, and sat right on the border between Wales and England with beautiful parts of each country within easy reach! I hope you can both visit there one day!

    • @reactingtomyroots
      @reactingtomyroots  5 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

      Yep! That's the place. She says thanks for jogging her memory :)

    • @TheNoobilator
      @TheNoobilator 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

      @@reactingtomyroots You're more than welcome! Thank you both for the videos!

    • @lorrainehall157
      @lorrainehall157 5 หลายเดือนก่อน

      And Ross on Wye next door where you can go see peregrine falcons at Symonds Yat

  • @caravanner52
    @caravanner52 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +2

    Hay on Wye, is the town in Wales, for books.

  • @DocRobAC
    @DocRobAC 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +4

    What I really love is how you choose some really interesting places to look at. I’ve lived not too far from Manchester all my life and never been in any of these, but I think a trip into the city might be in order.

    • @icekitty400
      @icekitty400 4 หลายเดือนก่อน

      Ordsal Hall isn't that far from the city centre and well worth a visit.

  • @ruth1231
    @ruth1231 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +4

    Hereford Cathedral is worth a look if you can find a video on it. It has a chained library and the mappa mundi and possibly a copy of the Magna Carta, although I don't think that was there when I visited. The mappa mundi is amazing.

  • @fathercyprian
    @fathercyprian 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +3

    I love following you guys, and now you're in MY city! I am ashamed to say I have these treasures in my doorstep and have never been in. The John Rylands Library houses two ancient papyrus fragments that are of interest to me and that I want to see: one is a fragment of an ancient papyrus of St John's Gospel, and the other dates from the 3rd century and bears the text of the earliest known hymn to the Mother of God, which is still in use today.
    There's also Manchester Central Library, which is very grand and circular. It was completelty refurbished a few years ago. There must be videos about it if you want to check it out. It is a 3-minute walk from the Portico Library.

  • @janetramsdale4478
    @janetramsdale4478 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +3

    Im not sure if you've already covered this, but the Natural History Museum in London, is a magnificent building. The architecture is stunning, in fact ive often said that i would pay to go inside, even if the building was empty. Interesting for Sophia too.

  • @cliffknott3862
    @cliffknott3862 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +4

    Hey guys. If you want an awesome library, check out Birmingham Library with its roof terraces and Shakespeare Room. Guarantee you’ll love it

  • @christinestromberg4057
    @christinestromberg4057 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +3

    I was born and grew up in Manchester. It's a great place. But there are some amazing libraries in other cities too. Oxford, for instance,has The Beodleian, for instance.. Oh Robert Peel founded the Police Force in Britain, and early cops became known as Peelers.

  • @Iskandar64
    @Iskandar64 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +2

    I think you hit gold with this selection. I am British, live in London, and did not know about Manchester’s historic Libraries.

  • @danielw5850
    @danielw5850 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

    Well-remembered, Lindsey, the Welsh town is Hay-on-Wye!

  • @user-lo2xi5dr2u
    @user-lo2xi5dr2u 5 หลายเดือนก่อน

    The British museum London has a lovely library. For me to go to a library and find a good book is like food for the brain.

  • @lindyashford7744
    @lindyashford7744 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

    Hay on Wye which where the bookshops are, near the Welsh border is also close to Glastonbury which is as pretty a place as you can find, a bit new agey lovely little shops, and the famous Glastonbury Tor, a nice walk up to one of the finest views in England. Down again in the town there are beautiful cathedral ruins to explore, and little windy streets with shops and cafes. I think you would both love that area, which is also close to Bristol where many American ancestors would have left from, lots of welsh castles, and loads of country pubs, if you could drive then you would have a really lovely time in the south west. But plan on returning at some time because you can never do the U.K. on a whistle stop basis, there is just too much to take in.

  • @jay80ss
    @jay80ss 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

    That's my Town Manchester 🤗 I live there and yes we are extreamly lucky to have our wonderful libraries, you should visit 🤗

  • @claregale9011
    @claregale9011 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +4

    There is also a library in London dating back to 1425 . Guildhall library . I'm really interested in looking into it's history now I've just looked it up thanks to you guys 😊.

  • @wreckead
    @wreckead 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

    I've lived in Manchester for over 50 years and never seen inside any of these, thx!

    • @weejackrussell
      @weejackrussell 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

      Get in there quickly!

  • @janinetrauts
    @janinetrauts 5 หลายเดือนก่อน

    I worked across from John Rylands library and looked out onto it every day. Spent many of my dinner hours wandering around it

  • @suelovesed
    @suelovesed 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

    I live in Manchester check out the Manchester Central Libary video another great library we have here in Manchester. I used to go here with my Dad when i was a child back in the 1960s great memories.

  • @damianmccoy6128
    @damianmccoy6128 5 หลายเดือนก่อน

    Hurray, my hometown! Manchester Central Library is also a magnificent building.

  • @RichDoes..
    @RichDoes.. 5 หลายเดือนก่อน

    I grew up on a street with a library 200 yards from my house... the weirdly intelligent librarian who was at my local library at age 6, recognised me 30 yrs later when he had moved to the central library.. obviously he saw me as I developed into a teen... but that was some memory to remember my name!

  • @earlofnythe
    @earlofnythe 5 หลายเดือนก่อน

    Regularly used for filming film & TV. It cropped up a couple of times in Peaky Blinders. Which, if you haven't seen it, is AMAZING! Best show/series I've ever seen.

  • @alwolfy1782
    @alwolfy1782 5 หลายเดือนก่อน

    I live in Manchester I have to confess i e never been to the Portico library. It does look amazing so i should definitely go in the near future . Central library is one of my favourite places and worth a mention as well. It was opened in 1934. It's one of the largest lending libraries in England. The building is circular and very beautiful in my eyes they even have a theatre downstairs. Manchester is a great vity with so much to do and see.

  • @MrsG789
    @MrsG789 3 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

    I don’t know if you have independent coffee shops which are also book shops? We have a few in the villages where I live in the south east.
    They are heavenly for book lovers. Picture it - large leather sofas, fresh Teas, coffees, smoothies, hot chocolates, homemade biscuits.. the smell of books and walls dressed with all different genres of books📚 it’s a rainy day outside, there’s a fire crackling in the corner and you get lost in your latest book. One of my favourite things to do when I get an hour to myself.

  • @weejackrussell
    @weejackrussell 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

    The town with the bookshops you mentioned is probably Hay on Wye. They have a literary festival every year. It's a long way from Manchester bur convenient for exploring the rivers Wye and Severn.

  • @fuzielectron5172
    @fuzielectron5172 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +2

    I love Public Libraries, my Great Grandmother ensured I could read before I even started school. Im eternally grateful to her.
    A research subject perhaps The Great Improvers of the industrial revolution, men of character who invested in their employees conditions, housing, etc. Similar aporoaches were taken by some employers in the US.

  • @deanmaximus9770
    @deanmaximus9770 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +3

    As you was wondering there are 24 public libraries in Manchester.

  • @susanroberts2289
    @susanroberts2289 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +4

    Did you know that Manchester was the first industrial city in the world? It’s a very historical city in this respect. John Ryland’s is supposed to be the first public library.

    • @Aloh-od3ef
      @Aloh-od3ef 5 หลายเดือนก่อน

      Is there any industry left in Manchester.
      Or has it all moved abroad.
      Like in other industrial cities?

    • @georgebarnes8163
      @georgebarnes8163 5 หลายเดือนก่อน

      The Malatestiana Library is a public library and over 200 years older than the John Ryland’s library

  • @MaggieLyons-vb6yw
    @MaggieLyons-vb6yw 2 หลายเดือนก่อน

    I studied in these rooms when I was at university. I took it totally for granted and although I still live in Manchester I’ve never been back. I think I might do now though.

  • @OfficeofPrincessSheRa
    @OfficeofPrincessSheRa 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

    In city's like Edinburgh there are lots of small 2nd hand bookstores often in old buildings that are worth exploring even if you don't buy anything.

  • @BogusOp
    @BogusOp หลายเดือนก่อน

    i worked next to Chethams and it is a world famous music school teaching talented music students for the next orchestra .

  • @UranusMcVitieFish-yd7oq
    @UranusMcVitieFish-yd7oq 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

    Having to take a 50 minute train ride (followed by another 5 to 10 minutes on the tram) to access all the wonderful historic stuff like this in Manchester is one of the few things I regret about leaving a near city centre house to live in the Derbyshire countryside. There is so much historic 18th and 19th century things to look out for in Manchester.

  • @Damien.Young46
    @Damien.Young46 5 หลายเดือนก่อน

    Born and bred.47 years. and im ashamed to say ive never been.. and yet i love to read and i love old clasic buildings and architecture.. i must make more of an effort

  • @nsim8930
    @nsim8930 5 หลายเดือนก่อน

    Brilliant video. Loved your reactions. Thank you for reminding me of the beautiful libraries of my university city ❤

  • @Finny14754
    @Finny14754 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

    I do like watching Americans appreciate the history of England 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 😊🙏. We don’t think about it much until you watch videos like this , the fire place in my village pub dates back to 1070 , it’s part of an old monastery. Amazing when you think about it .

  • @NK-bj8li
    @NK-bj8li 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +3

    Sir Robert Peel was Prime Minister twice, between 1834-35 and 1841-46, and was a founder of the Metropolitan Police in 1829. (That’s why police r nicknamed ‘bobbies’ short Robert)
    You probably heard of him on the video about uk police.

    • @susansmiles2242
      @susansmiles2242 5 หลายเดือนก่อน

      The police were also known as Peeler’s and Rozzers
      Peeler’s because of Sir Robert Peel and Rozzers because he cam from Rossendale

    • @stewedfishproductions7959
      @stewedfishproductions7959 5 หลายเดือนก่อน

      Also, Sir Robert Peel was then Home Secretary when he founded the force, hence "Bobbies", but "Peelers" too. William IV was King and "Old Bill" is a reference to the King for then as now... "constables are citizens locally appointed but have authority under the crown".

  • @eileentaylor1691
    @eileentaylor1691 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

    robert peel was the founder of the first constabulary in london

  • @Bridget410
    @Bridget410 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

    The RNCM
    'Royal Northern College of Music' also has a library in Manchester.
    The Library,
    Royal Northern College of Music,
    124 Oxford Road, Manchester,
    M13 9RD.

  • @ranmyaku4381
    @ranmyaku4381 5 หลายเดือนก่อน

    You'd love St Paul's Cathedral's whispering gallery both beautiful and fascinating how you can whisper into the wall on one side of the dome and hear it like they are talking right beside you on the otherside. Britain has some amazing architecture and the most stunning and amazing often shows in these smaller overlooked but intricately detailed buildings

  • @SteveBagnall-gh1fu
    @SteveBagnall-gh1fu 5 หลายเดือนก่อน

    We live in an outer suburb of a town called Glossop which is about 15 miles from central Manchester.
    There are about 2,000 residents, we have a public library about 70 yards away, opens Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Tuesday each week from 2.00pm until 5.00pm plus 10 until 4 on Saturday. Totally free, unless you return a book late, then it's 50p per day in fines.

  • @Lily_The_Pink972
    @Lily_The_Pink972 24 วันที่ผ่านมา

    Wigtown in Dumfries and Galloway in SW Scotland is another small town full of bookshops. Well worth a visit.

  • @ffotograffydd
    @ffotograffydd 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +2

    The town in Wales with all the bookshops is Hay-on-Wye. If you come to Wales the National Library of Wales (Llyfrgell Genedlaethol Cymru) in Aberystwyth is also worth a visit! It’s not far from the Ceredigion rain forest area if you wanted to combine the two.
    If you visit London there are a lot of secondhand and antique bookshops in the Charing Cross Road area, along with Foyles bookshop which is huge (and used to be the world's largest bookshop).
    If you visit the Scottish Highlands Leakey's Bookshop in Inverness is Scotland’s largest secondhand bookshop, the building was once an old Gaelic church, so as well as the books the architecture is beautiful.

    • @linnettsamuel5026
      @linnettsamuel5026 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

      It should come with a wealth warning😂 Spent a lot on books and was reduced to beans on toast for a week😅

    • @ffotograffydd
      @ffotograffydd 5 หลายเดือนก่อน

      @@linnettsamuel5026 😂

  • @seandonohue6793
    @seandonohue6793 5 หลายเดือนก่อน

    I worked in Manchester and never knew they had these libraries. I’ll have to visit.

  • @TheOrlandoTrustfull
    @TheOrlandoTrustfull 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +3

    I have a funny feeling that Lindsey is going to be receiving hundreds of books in the PO Box in the coming months 😂

  • @jamesfry8983
    @jamesfry8983 5 หลายเดือนก่อน

    Doctor Dee, a man who has inspired me so much on my translations of old occult works.

  • @lizjones9086
    @lizjones9086 5 หลายเดือนก่อน

    I use to live in Hereford...its a beautiful city it still has Tudor buildings incorporated into town...there is the most amazing cathedral which is home to the map of Munda...it also has an amazing library not as big as some but it is beautiful...

  • @anny1_232
    @anny1_232 5 หลายเดือนก่อน

    The town in Wales with all the secondhand book stores is Hay on Wye. Not far from where I live. It’s worth a visit, and you can reach it by driving over the picturesque mountains with wild ponies and sheep. Tricky roads, but beautiful!

  • @Python_Racing
    @Python_Racing 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

    There's a bookshop in a town called Lewes (pronounced Lewis) in Sussex that I believe is the oldest in the UK

  • @heartofearth2
    @heartofearth2 5 หลายเดือนก่อน

    I can't believe I overlooked this upload. I'm from Manchester....born and breed. I'm happy you had a look at my city. We have those three big libraries and smaller libraries in each of the zones of the city.

  • @simonsamson4573
    @simonsamson4573 4 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

    Your such a wholesome lovely couple. Keep it up❤

  • @Python_Racing
    @Python_Racing 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

    Steve and Lindsey, because of you fantastic variety of interests in the UK I got to thinking. If you guys truly want to visit all the things that you've already seen on TH-cam, I think you will need a vacation of around a year or more! Enjoy!

  • @ashdrive
    @ashdrive 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

    Great video...Lindsay is a great contribution to the channel..
    Here in the UK, we also have 'pop' up libraries be it in bus stops or old telephone booths...

  • @ottograce
    @ottograce 5 หลายเดือนก่อน

    Hello there, Steve and Lindsay. There are many other libraries in Manchester, and the largest - Manchester Central Library is also remarkable and magnificent. Anyone can go to the Portico and to Chetham's, but the Ruylands is part of Manchester University and is primarily for study and research as a collection of many of the world's rarest books. You need an appointment to get in and need to be registered, although they do have public tours. Of the larger cities in Britain outside London, Manchester may be the one most worth visiting; a genuinely exciting vibrant place - and there is an American connection which was mentioned at the Rylands. The extraordinary growth of Manchester and the surrounding towns in the 18th and 19th centuries was built on cotton - grown in America and shipped to Manchester to be woven into cloth. Indeed, the Mayor of Manchester used to be known as 'King Cotton'. There are lots of smaller cities in England which are obviously fascinating for the tourist and for lovers of history, culture and architecture; York, Bath, Chester should definitely be on your list. Then there are dozens of glorious smaller towns. And this is before even mentioning Scotland, Wales (the greatest proportion of castles in the world) and Ireland.

  • @kevinhayes3184
    @kevinhayes3184 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

    This is my home city, We Mancunians do things differently. have a look at our Central Library