The Chetham name holds a great deal of significance in Greater Manchester.
Whether it’s a name you’re familiar with, a name you’ve seen mentioned before, but are unsure of its importance, or a name you’re just hearing for the first time right now, there’s no denying what it means to our region.
It’s a name you’ll find simultaneously bestowed upon a former public hospital turned world-leading independent music school, a 178-year-old text publication society concerned with the history of North West England founded in 1843 and commemorated in the window of Manchester Cathedral.
It also proudly features on the front of two local statues and a mural, heavily linked to both Clayton Hall near Droylsden and Turton Tower in Bolton (as well as a popular pub in a nearby village) and most notably, of course, the oldest public library in the English-speaking world right here in Manchester.
But who does this surname actually belong to? Just who is it that we have to thank for the integral part played in shaping the cultural landscape of our wonderful city and wider community that we so frequently enjoy today?
Humphrey Chetham made his name as an English textile merchant, financier, and philanthropist.
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He was born on 10th July 1580 in Crumpsalland was the son of Henry Chetham, a successful Manchester merchant who lived in Crumpsall Hall with his wife Jane, who was the daughter of Robert Wroe of nearby Heaton.
He was educated at Manchester Grammar School, and then in 1597, was the made the apprentice to Samuel Tipping, a well-known Manchester linen draper.
In 1605, Humphrey moved from Manchester to London with his brother George.
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The pair joined forces to trade in various textiles, primarily fustian — a strong woven fabric made of linen and cotton — and the business partnership went on to become highly successful, thanks to the fact that the fabric they were trading was bought in London and then sold for a higher price in Manchester.
Having made his fortune and now a shrewd and successful businessman, Humphrey began to purchase land and property in the Manchester area in the 1620s, with his first notable purchase being the acquisition of the 15th-century manor house Clayton Hall, close to his hometown, then followed by the purchase of the scheduled ancient monument and the Grade I-listed Turton Tower, which was bought from William Orrell in 1628.
After his huge wealth and success became known to the crown, Humphrey was asked to be knighted in 1631, but he declined the honour and was subsequently fined for his refusal.
But in 1635, he was offered a job he was unable to refuse and became the High Sheriff of Lancashire.
His continuing list of titles and roles didn’t stop there either, as in 1643 he was forced into the position of General Treasurer of Lancashire, but he was said to have found this one very difficult to manage as a result of his old age and therefore turned down a second term.
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For many years prior to his death in 1653, Humphrey Chetham had attempted to make provisions for a large charitable scheme, but as time went on, he also began to obtain debts from his multiple businesses and began to fear that when he eventually passed on, parliament would take his money.
He therefore donated money to form a blue coat school for forty poor boys, which later became Chetham’s Hospital, and then the institution we know today as Chetham’s School of Music.
He also left money to establish what many would consider his greatest legacy, the iconic Chetham’s Library, founded in 1653 under his will for the education of “the sons of honest, industrious and painful parents” and for the use of scholars.
A real gem in Greater Manchester’s cultural crown, it is globally renowned as the oldest public library in the English-speaking world and has a rich history all of its own.
Chetham’s Library is known for being the regular meeting place of Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, when Marx visited Manchester in the summer of 1845, with the research they undertook during this series of visits to the library ultimately leading to The Communist Manifesto.
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This is just one of many examples of how the library has cemented itself site of historical importance for the region, as well as further etching the Chetham name into global history.
Humphrey Chetham also left additional funds to pay for books on his death, and it’s said that more libraries were also constructed later on from this money.
And it’s from those charitable efforts and goodwill that he will always be remembered by Mancunians.
He truly did leave a lasting legacy we can still feel today.
Starting off life as a little coffee trike back in 2021, and now based inside a bright-yellow shipping container in Levenshulme‘s Cringle Park, Grounded MCR CIC is a social enterprise that does more than just make you a brew.
Set up with the idea of creating a welcoming space for the whole community to gather, with a key focus on sustainability, Grounded serves up specialty coffee, lots of other hot and cold drinks, and yummy homemade food – much of which is grown by hand, on and around the container.
This is Grounded MCR / Credit: The Manc Group
Coffee beans sourced from a local roaster that pays farmers properly, tasty bakes on offer from a handful of local makers – including bread from the incredible Stockport-based charity, Pure Innovations – and dozens of free community events organised throughout the year are just a few of the reasons why Grounded goes above and beyond your typical cafe.
Sustainability – and affordability, especially amid the ongoing cost of living crisis – are two huge driving factors for Grounded, especially through their partnership with FareShare Greater Manchester and utilising the ‘Too Good To Go’ scheme.
By delivering and using surplus food that would’ve otherwise gone to waste, Grounded is able to keep their prices low whilst still creating some delicious scran.
The Levenshulme community cafe crafting coffee for a great cause / Credit: The Manc Group
Their ‘FareShare Fridays’ are hosted each week, where that morning’s delivery is dedicated to one specific dish and served up for just £1.
To top it all off, Grounded also works with vulnerable adults in honing their barista and hospitality skills, and is also in partnership with ‘Women in Probation’ too to ensure their impact goes further than just what comes in a cup or on a plate.
”We’ve worked hard to create a space that feels safe and welcoming for all,” Grounded declares in a statement on it’s website – and we think they’ve succeeded.
Finding Emily – the hit new romcom that really romanticises Manchester
Daisy Jackson
When news broke of a new romcom filmed and set in Manchester, forgive us for an eyebrow raise.
You see, when TV shows and films choose our city as a backdrop, it can sometimes get a little slapstick, a bit gimmicky, riddled with stereotypes (see: Jack Whitehall’s BRITs gags).
Either that, or the local sets are so aggressively styled for the screen, they’re barely recognisable as Manchester anymore (see: every Harlan Coben drama).
But then we kept catching glimpses of the Finding Emily cast and crew around town a couple of years ago, taking over iconic boozers and milling around legendary gig venues, and that sceptical eyebrow came down a peg or two.
So imagine our delight after seeing the film and finding a well-researched, authentically Manc, love letter to our city that actually romanticses what it’s like to live here in the present day – not a Hacienda stripe in sight.
The plot of Finding Emily follows Owen (Spike Fearn) on his mission to track down ‘Emily’, a girl he met on a night out who mistakenly wrong-numbered him, with the help of another Emily (Angourie Rice).
Throughout the film, the duo drink, dance, and dig for clues in all corners of the city, with backdrops that will be very familiar to those of us who live here.
There’s a bar crawl all along Canal Street, including a drag cabaret show at VIA; a job hunt in Piccadilly Records; a queue joined outside Rustica.
We see scenes set inside some of Manchester’s most beautiful spaces, like the Whitworth Cafe and the Sackville Street Building, and plenty of iconic cityscapes like the view from Deansgate station and the backdrop of the University of Manchester.
They even play darts in the Peveril of the Peak.
Finding Emily romanticises the less glamorous, more authentic side of the city too – Northern Quarter alleyways, a Fallowfield house party, a proper kebab on the Curry Mile, and an all-nighter in the Central Library.
While a lot of film crews hop over to leafy Didsbury to house their characters, our lead figures in the film instead live in terraces beneath the viaducts in Smedley, or in a converted mill apartment in Chorlton Mill.
It’s not only the location scouts that put in the work on Finding Emily – there’s also a respectable number of local characters and artists who pop up with cameos.
Antony Szmierek features heavily on the soundtrack, and appears in-person in the closing credits.
There’s a video game played by Owen’s brother with graphics designed by celebrated local artist Stanley Chow.
Anna Phylactic performs on stage on Canal Street, W.H. Lung headline a gig at Night & Day, Luke Una stands behind the decks as a disgruntled ‘No requests’ type of DJ, and Stockport’s beloved Blossoms perform at the cast’s graduation ball.
I’m not sure we’ve ever seen a film or TV show so perfectly capture Manchester before, celebrating all its beauty and all its edges. It’s not performative at all.
If you’re a Manchester local, Finding Emily is a must-watch. But even if you’re not, this is a modern romcom with likeable characters and plenty of charm.
Emily Sergeant -
10th February 2021 
