Medieval Manchester Festival

Medieval Manchester: Chetham's Library is 600 years old this year

When I was a student in Manchester in the 1970s, I was barely aware of the city's Medieval history, yet the area around the cathedral comprises of an important group of historic buildings, with the cathedral itself, originally Manchester Collegiate Church, plus what is now Chetham's School of Music and Chetham's Library. Chetham's was originally built in 1421 to accomodate the priests from Manchester Collegiate Church, and the site has developed into the modern day with Chetham's School adding the award winning Stoller Hall in 2017.

Now, a new festival is celebrating Chetham's 600th birthday. Over the weekend of 25 and 26 September 2021 there will be a range of events to commemorate Manchester's oldest buildings, with events held in Chetham's courtyard.

The events range from live music from Manchester Baroque and Chetham's School of Music choristers to performances from Horrible Histories. There are tours of Chetham's Library, the oldest library in the English-speaking world, as well as food, falconry, story-telling and much more.

Further information from the Chetham's website.