We’re looking forward to welcoming you to the Library.
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 which was built to accommodate the priests of Manchester’s Collegiate Church. The entire collection at Chetham’s Library has been designated as one of national and international importance. The Library is also an accredited museum, attracting visitors from all over the world.
Due to Chetham’s Library sharing the site with Chetham’s School of Music, all visitor access is via the pre-booked guided tours and events.
Tours: Please use this link to go to the tour booking page. You can also Contact Us to discuss group visits or access arrangements.
Please see our tour booking page for the dates and times of our guided tours. Please note that although we try our best to be open to visitors 5–6 days a week, there are occasions where we are not able to admit visitors to the Library, due to school events, private tours and functions.
Reader Appointments: If you’re coming to us as a reader or researcher, you can find out about our collections here and in our catalogues. Please get in touch using the addresses on our Contact Us page to arrange a reader appointment. We will also be happy to do whatever we can to answer your queries or assist in research remotely. Please make an appointment as far as possible in advance (at least one full working day ahead of time) to view material from the collections. We will do our best to accommodate all requests, but may be unable to provide access at your preferred time or date for a variety of reasons, including availability of reader space, staffing, and school safeguarding considerations; please do not assume that sending an email to which you have not received a reply constitutes an appointment. If your query is urgent, please telephone 0161 834 7961. Archival enquiries are dealt with Monday-Wednesday only.