Why study here?

We offer an enviable location for the study of Medieval and Early Modern Studies.

Did you know?

Chetham's Library is the oldest public library in the English-speaking world.

Find out more about Chetham's Library

The cosmopolitan city of Manchester offers a lively and diverse research culture, focused on the incredible riches of the Special Collections at The John Rylands Research Institute and Library on Deansgate.

The late-Victorian neo-Gothic building opened to the public in 1900 and was founded by Enriqueta Augustina Rylands in memory of her husband, John Rylands. The Rylands has a superb collection of early modern printed books, in English and other languages.

Opportunities

  • Digitised Medieval English manuscripts available through Luna, the Rylands' viewing platform.
  • Manchester's resources in medieval and early modern studies also include Chetham's Library.
  • The Whitworth houses collections of textiles which go as back as far as the third century CE, as well as prints dating from the origins of European printmaking in the mid-fifteenth century.
  • The Manchester Museum has objects from pre-historic Egypt to the Byzantine era (circa 600 CE).
  • Anglo-Saxon Studies has been a long-term specialism at the University. The Manchester Cluster for Anglo-Saxon Studies is now housed within the Centre for Medieval and Early Modern Studies.