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The John Rylands Library was founded by Mrs Enriqueta Augustina Rylands in memory of her late husband, John Rylands, one of the most successful businessmen of Victorian England and Manchester’s first multi-millionaire.

The striking gothic building which dominates the streetscape at the corner of Deansgate and Spinningfield was designed in 1889 by the architect Basil Champneys. The library took ten years to build and was first opened to public readers on 1 January 1900. The initial stock of the Library was 70,000 books and fewer than 100 manuscripts. As the Library's collections grew, the building has been extended four times; first in 1920 and again in 1962 and 1970. In 2003 major refurbishment began which included the construction of a new entrance wing. The library reopened in 2008.

The Library became part of The University of Manchester in 1972 and currently holds the Special Collections of The University of Manchester Library. Mrs Rylands' memorial to her husband is now part of the third largest academic library in the United Kingdom; the building houses over 250,000 printed volumes, and well over a million manuscripts and archival items.

The library was granted Grade I listed status in 1952 (Historic England List Entry Number: 1217800 Link ).


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