#chetham's library

[damonalbarn]

2011, Chetham's Library, Manchester - photos by Tim Sinclair [X]

[o-rchidae]

I finally visited Chetham's Library. The oldest English language public library in the world.

It's part of the Chetham's School of Music campus so there were kids around and I had to make sure none of them made it into shot. There were some boys playing with a football on the other side of the quad who were threatened with paying the damages if they broke a medieval window.

The famous medieval cat flaps

Dr John Dee was the warden of the college during the reign of Elizabeth I. He was an alchemist, mathematician and astronomer (and a spy for the English Crown).

One of his many exploits is claiming he delved deep into the occult and summoned the devil in his day room who burned a hoof mark into the table. It didn't look like a hoof to me but I couldn't get a clear picture of it so maybe it’s true.

Another famous pair of visitors were Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels who did the majority of their research for The Condition of the Working Class in England in the upstairs reading room

And the stacks

The books were originally chainted to the shelves and were to be read sitting on a stool by a shelf. As the collection grew this system became unwieldy and the shelves were caged in instead. Some of the chained volumes still remain.

[lilithsaintcrow]

"Two years after he had taken up the librarianship, Tinkler was caught using Chetham’s stationery to conduct suspicious dealings with rare books dealers in Berlin, Munich and New York…"

[caedmonofwhitby]

Chetham’s Library, Manchester

Chetham’s Library was founded in 1653 and is the oldest public library in the English-speaking world.

The Library began acquiring books in August 1655, and has been adding to the collections ever since. As well as early printed books, the collection includes ephemera, manuscript diaries, letters and deeds, prints, paintings and glass lantern slides.

The Library is also known for being the place where Marx and Engels met to discuss their revolutionary ideas that changed the world. It’s also where Dr. John Dee supposedly summoned the Devil!

[without-ado]

Chetham's Library l Manchester England

[mochieu]

Ancient, Chetham’s Library, Manchester, England

[flaxmanlow]

John Dee summons the Devil

In Chetham’s Library, Manchester is a circular burn mark - a mark which, it is said, was made by the hoof of Satan, after Dee summoned him to seek advice and wisdom.

John Dee

[galatea-cosplay]

Ancient and Antique Books, Chetham Library, Manchester, England

[fakevince]

Chetham’s Library, Manchester, England

[stuffinsweets]

Ancient, Chetham’s Library, Manchester, England

[bard-core]

Ancient, Chetham’s Library, Manchester, England

[yayareasfinest]

Ancient, Chetham’s Library, Manchester, England

[doppelgaengerhanna]

Ancient, Chetham’s Library, Manchester, England

[zeldagrove]

Chetham’s Library, Manchester, England

[caedmonofwhitby]

Stone Head, could be Celtic, could be a fake at Chetham’s Library Manchester, discovered in 1990s at the library

A number of similar stone heads have been found in the North West (notably Glossop) in the last few decades.

Originally thought to be from the Iron Age, it is now believed the stones to be much more modern (mid eighteenth century).

Theories regarding the origins of the heads differ wildly. Some believe they were placed in known Iron Age sites to fool excavators searching for items relating to druidism.

Others believe they are sacred artifacts with magical properties and relate back to ancient religions.

[lilithcosa]

Ancient, Chetham’s Library, Manchester, England