The oldest library in the English-speaking world has finally reopened its doors to the Manchester public today.
Chetham’s Library was founded in 1653 by English textile merchant, financier and philanthropist, Humphrey Chetham, and had remained open in the heart of Manchester city centre ever since – until the pandemic hit in March 2020.
Just like the majority of our great city, the iconic library was forced to temporarily close, but after 15 long months, the library will finally welcome visitors back today.
This has been the longest period of closure in the library’s rich 350-year history.
To mark this special occasion, a new programme of visitor tours will reveal rare items from the library’s priceless collection, with personal stories, historic maps and documents, and rarely-seen images of historic Manchester also on show.
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The library said that some of the items from its collection will be on display for the first time.
Chetham’s Library is the oldest library in the English-speaking world / Credit: Chetham’s Library
Now a museum as well as a library, visitors to the Grade I-listed medieval building will be able to see a wide range of Manchester-related treasures that highlight the impressive development of the city from its market-town origins, through the Industrial Revolution and into the modern age.
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Some of the items on show include the seventeenth-century manuscript of the first history of Manchester, original watercolours by the town’s antiquarian one-legged saddlemaker, Thomas Barritt (1743-1820), and the first printed map of the town.
There’s so much more than just books and academic literature on offer.
“It has been 15 long months since we last welcomed visitors or academic researchers through our doors.” said Fergus Wilde, a librarian at Chetham’s Library.
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“This is our longest closure in 350 years, so it is with great joy and relief that we now welcome people back into our historic buildings.
“The library’s wide-ranging collections have a remarkable story to tell about Manchester’s growth and success [and] as we reopen our doors for guided tours and academic readers alike, we can’t think of a better place to start than by showcasing that Manchester story.”
The library was founded in 1653 by English textile merchant, Humphrey Chetham / Credit: Chetham’s Library
Guided tours of the library building will now also resume in groups of up to six as a maximum, but Fergus has assured that they offer visitors “a deeper insight into our collections than ever before.”
You can find more information about the reopening of Chetham’s Library here.
Featured Image – Chetham’s Library
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Police are searching for a missing bride-to-be, with CCTV from the day she vanished released
Daisy Jackson
Police have ramped up their appeal to find missing bride-to-be Eren Wright, releasing CCTV of her on the day she vanished.
Eren has been missing since 27 October, when she left her home address in Lytham St Annes.
Since then, her desperate fiancé has shared that her phone was last detected in Birkdale Southport at around 5.30pm that same day, and her bank accounts are empty.
He said last week in a post on Facebook: “Myself and the pets are freaking out not knowing where she is and if she is ok, she has been missing for nearly 12 hours.”
Eren was last seen just after 10am leaving her home on St David’s Road South.
She is described as white, 5’7″, slim, and with blonde hair. She also has tattoos of vines and a tree on her hand and arms.
Police have ramped up their appeal to find missing bride-to-be Eren Wright. Credit: Fylde Police
Eren was last seen wearing a light olive green hoodie with a painting on the front, beige/cream wide leg pants, and worn white trainers.
Police have now shared the new CCTV image of Eren in the hopes that someone might know where she is, or have seen her.
Fylde Police also said they were ‘worried’ about her.
If you see Eren or know where she might be, call 999 quoting log 1309 of October 27th.
Andy Burnham introduces new rules to tackle ‘rip-off’ parking charges
Daisy Jackson
City centre parking is at a premium, especially in a city like Manchester – but we’ve surely all made honest mistakes when paying and been slapped with eye-watering fines as a result.
Well now, Andy Burnham has announced a new Private Parking Code of Practice, which will clamp down on ‘rip-off’ private parking charges.
It will also make it easier for drivers to challenge unfair charges, capping charges for ‘smaller slip-ups’ at £20, and scrapping charges altogether on appeal for ‘honest mistakes’.
The new Code will get drivers a guaranteed five minutes to decide whether to park and 10 minutes to leave once their session ends.
Under the new Private Parking Code of Practice laid in Parliament today, you’ll be able to appeal to have all charges scrapped for honest mistakes like stopping briefly to check directions, and for situations like a medical emergency, breakdown or broken ticket machine.
Then charges will be capped at £20 for other mistakes such as forgetting a parking permit, entering the wrong vehicle’s registration or forgetting to confirm it in the machine when parking.
The Code also freezes the maximum parking charge at £100. Operators who don’t comply risk losing access to DVLA data, meaning that even if they issue a charge, it will be far more difficult to identify the registered owner to pursue payment.
Data shows just under 17 million private parking charges were issued in the UK last year alone.
Prime Minister Andy Burnham said: “Being a few minutes late back to your car or typing one digit of your numberplate wrong shouldn’t end with a hefty fine landing on your doormat.
“These charges leave people feeling ripped off and out of pocket, so I’m putting a stop to them.
Andy Burnham introduces new rules to tackle ‘rip-off’ parking charges. Credit: Unsplash, Samuel Isaacs
“We are introducing clearer rules, longer grace periods and lower charges for genuine mistakes, while going after the deliberate scams that rip drivers off.”
Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government Angela Rayner said: “Parking should be straightforward, not another everyday hassle. These changes mean drivers get a fairer deal, protected time to park and leave without fear of being unfairly charged, and confidence that private parking providers are held to a higher standard.
“It’s yet another step forward in this government’s plan to take the stress out of everyday life and ease the pressure on people’s pockets.”
Minister for Consumer Action, Kate Dearden, said: “Nobody works hard for their money just to be deceived by a dodgy trader, and this is exactly the kind of everyday rip-off this government is going after.
“By making it easier to take action against car clocking, we are protecting consumers’ hard-earned money and supporting businesses that play by the rules.”
Emily Sergeant -
23rd June 2021 
