Chetham’s Library, founded in 1653 in Manchester, is Britain’s oldest surviving public library. Established by Humphrey Chetham’s legacy, it also supported a school for disadvantaged boys. Housed in a stunning sandstone building from 1421, originally for church priests, the library offers a rare medieval setting that continues to welcome readers and visitors today. This book, in our Inside series, celebrates a library and its collections immersed in history and association.

Inside focuses on the mission and organisation of an institution rather than the collections within it – the context in which it operates and the people who make it work.  It tells the story of how an institution has evolved through its people, history, architecture, purpose and practice.