Manchester’s architectural history is rich. It’s a mish-mash of redbrick ‘Palazzo’ warehouses, concrete boxes, and steel-and-glass towers.
None of the city’s buildings quite compare to the John Rylands Library, though. The Deansgate gothic masterpiece came from very humble beginnings in Victorian Manchester’s red light district to being a marvel of learning and design.
It’s a popular spot with tourists, academics, and journalists alike — with the M.E.N.’s former office just next door.
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Now, a band of purple-clad staff provide a friendly greeting as you enter. It’s free to have a look around the John Rylands, which also has exhibitions on year-round.
One of those in purple — the University of Manchester’s colour — is Jacob Thompson. Originally from Norden in Rochdale, he studied at the university, before taking on a job in the library.
Now, he deals with throngs of people wanting to immerse themselves in the history of the building. What makes him tick?
Where’s your favourite hidden gem?
This is difficult to answer. What springs to mind is where the Castlefield Viaduct is — I know they’re just turned it into the new National Trust garden — in my opinion, the best place in Manchester for a view and one of my favourite to go back to, is underneath the viaduct where you have that promontory where some of the canal boats dock and it’s directly underneath the tram bridge and the viaduct.
It has a sign post on the corner of the water. That’s my favourite place in Manchester, because it’s so ridiculous they have a signpost with directions pointing directly into the canal.
What’s your favourite view of the city or in the city?
I love that, that’s one of them. Other than that I really like the concourse outside Oxford Road station where you can see the Kimpton Hotel.
I love that you can see that and it’s huge next to you. You have Oxford Road with all the flats around, and you look up the other way and you have the side that goes into town. It’s a great picture of all the buildings around you.
Where’s best to go for your dinner in town?
One I really like is Koreana, near here. It’s a good after work one, and they do a business lunch that is pretty rapid.
It’s lovely Korean food and they do Korean barbeque as well.
Where would you take someone to show them the real Manchester?
The real side of Manchester? I think the canals are great, but you have to go to the pubs for the real side of Manchester.
I’d say Northern Quarter is the fakest side of Manchester. I’d do a cut-through on the canals. You get to go through the Village, which is nice, and you get to go through Deansgate and Castlefield.
It’s somewhere which has been disconnected a bit from the city centre before, but with Spinningfields and Deansgate getting pedestrianised, Castelfield is getting more and more joined up.
What’s your favourite Mancunian neighbourhood?
I still have to say, even though I have left it behind, Withington was always my favourite place at uni. I live in Whalley Range now, but I still love Withington more.
And as much as I love home in Rochdale, for my own personal place in the city, Withington is the one. From what I hear it’s going from strength to strength in terms of new places opening.
What are the five words that best describe the city?
This is a really difficult question. I’d say home, concrete, Up The Dale, nostalgia — for both me and the city, it’s a nostalgic place — and heart.
City or United?
Rochdale. The Dale.
Liam or Noel?
I don’t really like Oasis, but definitely Liam.
Your favourite city pub is…?
The Lass O’Gowrie. I know everyone says ‘I love the Briton’s Protection’ or ‘I love the Pev’, but I just love the Lass.
Who is your favourite city ‘character’?
I’m trying to think if I’ve had one in my life recently. I love the guy who runs the photo shop in St Ann’s Arcade, I’ve been really into that.
He’s a really, really sound bloke. He’s really helped me out with my camera.
I’m useless, he told me ‘all your photos are going to be ruined because you put this in wrong’.
What’s the one thing you’d add to Manchester if you could…
Obvious answer, but loads of greenery. I love the city but it can be so oppressive when you spend all your time in the city centre. You start to feel like you’re in the badlands, or the desert.
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