The green light has been given for an impressive £7.6 million transformation of Manchester’s iconic John Rylands Library.
The Grade I-listed Rylands is, undoubtedly, one of the finest neo-Gothic buildings in Europe.
The building on Deansgate in the heart of the city centre has survived two World Wars, the disappearance of the Lancashire cotton industry, post-war modern planning, and the changing fortunes of Manchester to today house several internationally-important collections of rare books, manuscripts, and archives.
And now, the ‘next chapter’ in its storied history is about to be written, as the legendary structure is set to begin a new life as part of a £7.6 million project.
That’s because Manchester City Council has approved plans to transform the University of Manchester-owned building in a bid to “enhance” its contribution to research, student experience, and public engagement in the city.
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The green light has been given for £7.6m transformation of Manchester’s iconic John Rylands Library / Credit: UoM
The £7.6m project, which is actually named ‘John Rylands Next Chapter’, forms a part of the Library’s wider Imagine2030 vision.
The proposed designs, which have been drawn up by conservation architects at Donald Insall Associates, utilises a so-called ‘single design language’ that speaks to the building’s evolution through the 1890s, 1920s, 1960s, and 2000s, and includes an updated exhibition space, an advanced imaging laboratory, a flexible event space, and a refreshed main entrance.
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According to developers, the consented transformation scheme aims to “sensitively protect” and “revolve” the beloved building.
The Grade I-listed Rylands is one of the finest neo-Gothic buildings in Europe / Credit: Michael D Beckwith (via Flickr)
The University of Manchester says that Rylands, both the Research Institute and Library, is expected to remain open throughout the project of works.
However some areas will need to close “as required” while their redevelopment takes place.
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“The Rylands is one of the great libraries of the world,” commented Professor Christopher Pressler, who is the John Rylands University Librarian and Director of the University of Manchester Library, as the transformation plans were given the green light this week.
The Library’s ‘Next Chapter’ project will deliver world-class facilities / Credit: UoM
“The ‘Next Chapter’ project will deliver world-class facilities for research and engagement, of a quality to match our extraordinary collections and building, and will equip the Rylands to address the many challenges and opportunities of the mid-21st century.
“It will also reinforce the Rylands’ importance to the University, the city of Manchester, and world heritage.”
Timelines for the £7.6m transformation are expected to be announced in due course.
Featured Image – Donald Insall Associates
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Luxury Manchester gym Blok confirms permanent closure after weeks of uncertainty
Daisy Jackson
Blok Manchester has announced its permanent closure, weeks after the doors to the premium fitness facility mysteriously closed.
Around a fortnight ago, members began to arrive to their classes to find the gym on Ducie Street locked up and a forfeiture notice on the door – but at the time, Blok said that it was fighting to reopen.
Sadly, in an email sent to members today, its founder has confirmed that the studio is now permanently closed.
Blok – which has several very successful sites down in London – said that its relationship with its landlord has ‘broken down to a point where trust has been lost’.
The gym wrote that it’s been left with ‘no workable way forward’.
They said: “BLOK Manchester was a space built by our loyal and dedicated community. Whether you joined us for one class or one hundred, we are deeply grateful. You helped create something genuinely special in an incredible city.”
In the immediate future, they said they’ll be supporting the team of fantastic trainers who worked here, as well as looking after members.
Members will be contacted within a few hours with options and refunds owed.
Blok Manchester has announced its permanent closure. Credit: The Manc Group
CEO and founder Ed Stanbury said: “While this marks the end of a chapter, we don’t see it as the end of our story in Manchester. We’re already speaking with developers about potential future sites and remain committed to returning to the city when the time is right.
“Thank you for being part of our story so far. Let’s shape the future of wellness. The mission continues.”
Commenting on Blok’s Instagram post – its first in almost a fortnight – people have been sharing their sadness at the closure of its Manchester site.
One person wrote: “beautiful space, beautiful staff and beautiful community.”
Another said: “Sending love to all the instructors !! :(((( gutted”
Someone else commented: “THE BEST CLASSES. I’m gutted.”
‘The average cost of a pint’ in the UK by region, according to the latest data
Danny Jones
Does it feel like pints keep getting more and more expensive almost every week at this point? Yes. Yes, it does, and while you can’t expect a city as big as Manchester to be one of the cheapest places to get one in the UK, we do often wonder how it compares to other parts of the country.
Well, as it happens, someone has recently crunched the numbers for us across the nation, breaking down which regions pay the most and the least for their pints.
The data has been examined by business management consultancy firm, CGA Strategy, using artificial intelligence and information from the latest Retail Price Index figures to find out what the ‘average cost of a pint’ is down south, up North and everywhere in between.
While the latest statistics provided by the group aren’t granular enough to educate us on Greater Manchester’s pint game exactly, we can show you how our particular geographic region is looking on the leaderboard at the moment.
That’s right, we Mancunians and the rest of the North West are technically joint mid-table when it comes to the lowest average cost of a pint, sharing the places from 3rd to 8th – according to CGA, anyway.
Powered by consumer intelligence company, NIQ (NielsenIQ) – who also use AI and the latest technology to deliver their insights – we can accept it might seem like it’s been a while since you’ve paid that little for a pint, especially in the city centre, but these are the stats they have published.
Don’t shoot the messenger, as they say; unless, of course, they’re trying to rob you blind for a bev. Fortunately, we’ve turned bargain hunting at Manchester bars into a sport at this point.
We might not boast the lowest ‘average’ pint cost in the UK, but we still have some bloody good places to keep drinking affordable.
London tops the charts (pretends to be shocked)
While some of you may have scratched your eyes at the supposed average pint prices here in the North West, it won’t surprise any of you to see that London leads the way when it came to the most expensive pint when it came to average cost in the UK.
To be honest, £5.44 doesn’t just sound cheap but virtually unheard of these days.
CGA has it that the average cost of a beer in the British capital is actually down 15p from its price last September, but as we all know, paying upwards of £7 for a pint down that end of the country is pretty much par for the course the closer you get to London.
Yet more reason you can be glad you live around here, eh? And in case you thought you were leaving this article with very little, think again…
Emily Sergeant -
14th February 2024 
