If you live in Manchester, you’ll be quite used to the chatter surrounding our city’s legendary musical offering, football heritage and art scene.
But, fear not, bookworms: for those of you who spend most of your leisure buried in books, there’s a rich written lineage here in Manchester too and if you’d rather seek out quieter ways to spend your downtime, there are plenty of bookish hidey-holes right in the city centre.
After all, iconic writers such as Emmeline Pankhurst, Lemn Sissay and Elizabeth Gaskell; Anthony Burgess, Jeanette Winterson, John Cooper Clarke and countless others have all called this place home
So, pop your reading glasses on and come with me on a tour of our literary city and some of the best reading spots in Manchester.
The best places to read in Manchester city centre
1. Portico Library
With 19th-century texts stacked up high to its majestic, domed ceiling, this library feels like an uncovered secret, tucked away from the bustle of Piccadilly Gardens. You’re free to wander around, enjoy their exhibitions and peer through their ‘Handling Shelf’ of vintage literature.
Entry is free and it costs just a tenner for a weekly Reader pass, giving you access to the exclusive, private reading room at the back of the building. Give Portico a go.
2. House of Books and Friends
This beautiful bookshop and social space on King Street is just as stunning on the inside as its extraordinary exterior. It’s also one of our favourite cosy little spots for a brew in the city centre.
Daylight pours through the enormous windows into their café area, where they run regular events, book clubs, and author interviews to tackle loneliness in the reading community.
Part of the University of Manchester, you could say that John Rylands is the spiritual home of books in our city and probably the closest thing you’ll find to a real-life Hogwarts.
With its impressive neo-Gothic architecture and catalogue of more than 250,000 publications, the sweeping stone arches and stained-glass windows give the impression that you’ve stumbled into a place of worship. It’s also set to undergo a multi-million-pound renovation in the coming years.
Every year thousands of internationals visit these hallowed halls to pay homage to the written word and it’s not hard to see why, just look at it. A truly magical place.
If John Rylands is the cathedral in Manchester’s literary kingdom, then its spookier, medieval counterpart, Chetham’s Library, is surely our castle. Nestled behind a stone gateway in Cathedral Gardens and around the corner from Victoria, this is the oldest library in the English-speaking world.
It was originally set up as a priest’s college but in 1595 it became home to Dr John Dee, Queen Elizabeth I’s warden, who was a famed alchemist, academic, magician and occultist. According to legend, in between séances, Dr Dee supposedly summoned Satan himself.
If you’re feeling devilish, book on to one of the library tours where you can touch the scorch mark Beelzebub’s hoofprint left on the original table. See if you can spot the eerie death masks and carved devil’s face peering out from the shadows, as well. There’s some real history to this place.
Across town, you’ll find a door into a more specific corner of Manchester’s reading community. Historically, the stories of LGBTQ+ people have been silenced and that’s why QueerLit is such a special place; this place is all about celebrating inclusion and bringing those narratives back to the forefront.
A fifteen-minute stroll away from the thrum of Canal Street, they stock thousands of titles in their Northern Quarter shop, including authors and characters representing a diverse, queer readership, covering everything from historic fiction to comic books.
Not just a great reading spot for people in Manchester but an important one too.
The final stop on our literary tour is Chapter One, a cosy café and bookshop with a whole range of welcoming clubs to help you meet other like-minded folk — there’s a real community vibe here.
Their friendly groups cover creative writing, meditation, and poetry, as well as introductory sessions to woodwork and sculpture. They also have the wonderful Middle East-inspired Gulf coffee and teahouse in the back which, like any good book, is one of the most transportive places little rooms in town.
Reading spots don’t get cosier than this. (Credit: Chapter One Books (via Instagram)
That’s not all. There is, of course, the mighty Central Library on St Peter’s Square, and across the city there are dozens of other public libraries and independent bookshops for you to duck into.
No matter where you are in Manchester next time the rain starts to fall, you can always take shelter between the pages of a good book.
And if you’d like to hear more from the wonderful Katie McCall, you can check out her uncanny, gothic fiction and short stories which have been published right here in the UK and over in the US.
She’s just finished writing her second novel, a folk horror set just down the road in the Peak District. For further spooky, bookish musings, follow her on Instagram.
Featured Images — House of Books and Friends (via IG)/The Manc Group/Chapter One (via IG)
Art & Culture
The first-ever Horrible Histories live concert is coming to Manchester
Danny Jones
Any fans of childhood favourite Horrible Histories in the house? Well, you might want to pay attention because the iconic kids’ show is bringing its first-ever live concert to Manchester.
The beloved educational comedy by CBBC was, for many of us, the first time we showed a proper interest in history, and we’ll confess, we still go back and comfort-watch it from time to time.
Running from 2009 until 2014, it featured countless funny faces that went on to become stars in the UK comic scene and even spawned a smash-hit live show, which is now celebrating its 20th anniversary.
With that in mind, to help celebrate the milestone, the team behind the cult classic are putting on a special a pretty extensive series of live shows to bring the music of Horrible Histories to domestic audiences, including two right here in Manchester.
Credit: BBC/Supplied
Teaming up with Birmingham Stage Company and Lion Television, the BBC and Horrible Histories crew will soon be playing all the hit songs from the TV programme in the flesh.
Based on the books, CBBC show and the success of the theatre show, this unique music-driven live format is written by the TV series’ writers Ben Ward and Claire Wetton.
Led on stage by the Horrible Histories song master, Richie Webb, himself – who has written all the songs from the smash-hit BBC series – you’re getting the full, authentic experience.
Featuring a live band performing the sensational TV songs, including guest appearances from Charles II, Dick Turpin and a bunch of Vikings that we couldn’t stop barging through the stage door, this is one show you don’t want to miss.
You can find all the 32 ‘Horrible Histories: Live (And Dead)! – The Concert’ UK tour dates down below:
Early 2026
Spring 2026
– Fri 23 January, Darlington Hippodrome – Sat 24 January, Darlington Hippodrome – Fri 30 January, Bristol Beacon – Sat 31 January, Bristol Beacon – Sun 1 February, Cardiff Wales Millennium Centre – Fri 6 February, Manchester Opera House – Sat 7 February, Manchester Opera House – Fri 13 February, Liverpool Empire – Sat 14 February, Liverpool Empire – Tues 17 February London Royal Festival Hall – Fri 20 February, Birmingham Alexandra – Sat 21 February, Birmingham Alexandra – Fri 27 February, Milton Keynes Theatre – Sat 28 February, Milton Keynes Theatre – Sun 1 March, Cambridge Corn Exchange – Sun 8 March, Sheffield City Hall – Fri 13 March, Edinburgh Festival Theatre – Sat 14 March, Edinburgh Festival Theatre – Sun 15 March, Edinburgh Festival Theatre – Fri 20 March, Glasgow Theatre Royal
– Sat 21 March, Glasgow Theatre Royal – Sun 29 March, Nottingham Concert Hall – Thur 2 April, Southampton Mayflower – Fri 3 April, Southampton Mayflower – Sat 4 April, Southampton Mayflower – Mon 6 April, York Barbican – Tues 7 April, York Barbican – Thur 9 April, Brighton Concert Hall – Fri 10 April, Brighton Concert Hall – Sat 11 April, Brighton Concert Hall – Fri 17 April, Sunderland Empire – Sat 18 April, Sunderland Empire
Coming to the city centre and the storied Manchester Opera House for two evenings early next year, if you’re a fan of the series or the live theatre act, this one has to be on your list.
The whole cast for the tour is yet to be fully confirmed, but you can expect plenty of humour and talent from start to finish.
ATG+ presale has just gone live, and general admission will be available from Friday, 11 July, with prices starting from £18 and school tickets costing just £13.50
Castlefield Viaduct ‘sky park’ receives £2.75m funding towards major extension
Emily Sergeant
The National Trust has today announced an exciting development in the transformation of Manchester’s Castlefield Viaduct.
The New York-inspired elevated urban park on the giant Grade II-listed Victorian viaduct in the heart of the city centre officially opened to the public back in July 2022, and has been an escape from the hustle and bustle of city life ever since… but now, it’s time for the next phase of the journey, and a significant proportion of the funding needed for this project has been secured.
National Highway’s Historical Railways Estate Team, working in partnership with the National Trust has committed £2.4 million to fund a significant part of the structural and foundation work for ‘Phase 2’ of the project.
The funding will go towards increasing the scale of the current ‘sky park’ experience and turning it into a nature-rich through route, including the addition of The WaterAid Garden – a gold medal-winning garden from last year’s RHS Chelsea Flower Show.
Other supporters and funders are now being urged to donate to cover the remaining amount needed to ‘green up’ the extension.
As it stands, current visitors to the viaduct can walk through a series of spaces and gardens before coming to an untouched and overgrown section of the structure beyond a glass wall, and it’s this untouched section where the Phase 2 transformation will take place to extend the viaduct experience for visitors from 150-metres to more than 350-metres.
The current state of the site at Castlefield Viaduct that’s set to be transformed as part of Phase 2 / Credit: Paul Harris (via National Trust)
Plans include winding paths through planted areas to encourage people to take time out from the busy city below and connect with nature.
A second entry and exit point will also be added to the west side of Mancunian Way via a lift and stairway, turning it into a through route for the very-first time, and making it more accessible for people with limited mobility.
A longer-term masterplan could see the viaduct join up to other areas of the city, increasing access towards Salford and Trafford, and taking the benefits way beyond the physical structure of the viaduct in Castlefield.
The CGIs of how the space on the viaduct will look once it has been transformed / Credit: Twelve Architects (via National Trust)
“This funding is brilliant news for Castlefield – a hugely inspiring project to bring nature and green space to communities across Manchester,” commented Hilary McGrady, who is the Director-General of the National Trust.
“Its popularity over the past few years demonstrates how residents and visitors to the city value access to the outdoors and experiencing nature up-close in an innovative industrial heritage setting.
“This is something we want to continue and do more and more of in the years to come, and that is why this funding is so important.
“Our aim over the next 10 years is to ensure more people have access to nature particularly in our towns and cities, and to bring nature to people’s doorsteps wherever they live.”
Katie McCall -
8th March 2024 
