Lit city: Manchester for book lovers

Independent coffee shop and bar The Art of Tea offers more than just good quality loose leaf tea. It’s situated adjacent to a lovingly curated, second-hand bookshop, and it’s easy to lose a few hours there between the pages of a Penguin Classic or hooked up to their wifi.

Chetham’s combines history, education, music and culture. The institution comprises Chetham’s library, the internationally-renowned School of Music and The Stoller Hall.

Visitors to Elizabeth Gaskell’s House can explore the author’s home where she wrote most of her novels such as North and South and Cranford.

House of Books and Friends is a bookshop with a difference. As well as knowledgeable, friendly staff, a great selection of books and a café with some very nice cake, this place is a bookshop on a mission.

It’s part of the University of Manchester but you don’t have to be a scholar to enjoy this inspiring space. In fact, John Rylands Library was built to give the people of Manchester a place where they could read, create and wonder.

Officially, The Lowry is the most visited attraction in Greater Manchester, but only because the official list for some reason doesn’t include Central Library. It recorded a staggering 2m visits in 2019/2020, making it the busiest public library in the UK. 

Manchester Literature Festival has grown considerably in size and stature since it debuted back in 2006. Held annually in October, it’s now known as one of the north’s leading festivals for book-lovers.

Whether you’re a reader, a writer, a rhymer or a free-verser, you’ll find plenty to inspire you at the Manchester Poetry Library.

The Portico Library is as peaceful and relaxing as any library could be, despite being situated on Mosley Street in Manchester city centre with trams zipping past every few minutes.

Rather than being consigned to one small shelf, Queer Lit celebrates literature that reflects the queer experience throughout the shop. Have you ever struggled to find a book that reflects your ethos or lived experience as a gay person? Seek out Queer Lit.

Situated in Jubilee House on The Crescent in Salford, the Working Class Movement Library tells the tale of working people’s struggles to be heard through books, journals, pamphlets, archives, photographs, plays, poetry, songs, banners, badges, posters, biographies, cartoons and reports.