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Historic library reopens on Deansgate

20/09/2007

After a transformation worth £17 million, the historic John Rylands Library on Deansgate opened today.

The neo-gothic building, which is part of the University of Manchester, was reopened by journalist Anna Ford at a special ceremony.

A Grade 1-listed building, the library holds a world-renowned collection, including medieval manuscripts and a fragment of John's Gospel, the earliest known piece of the New Testament in existence.

The library was built in the 1890s but had deteriorated badly by the late 1990s, thereby endangering the building's priceless works.

Bill Simpson, library director, said: "The John Rylands Library is one of the most important rare book and manuscript libraries in the world.

"This project has enabled the University of Manchester to keep the collections in the building created for them over a century ago and to make these treasures accessible to all."

Restoration work was supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund, the European Regional Development Fund and other financial contributors.

The library, which also includes a large collection of online journals and books, contains more than four million volumes and over a million manuscripts.