Chetham's Library

Chetham's Library sits behind a heavy sandstone wall, marked by dark, timber-framed gables that date back to fourteen twenty-one. It holds the title of the oldest public library in the English-speaking world. Humphrey Chetham, a wealthy textile merchant, bought the buildings in sixteen fifty-three to establish a free library for scholars. Inside, the original dark oak shelves remain filled with the same volumes purchased centuries ago, kept in place by the thick, dust-filled air of the original reading rooms.