Top Picks
Guides
What’s on
Where to go
See all

Magic, Witches and Devils at The John Rylands Library, Manchester

Gemma Gibb, Associate Editor

Visit now

Magic, Witches & Devils in the Early Modern World

John Rylands Research Institute and Library, City Centre
21 January-21 August 2016

Always double check opening hours with the venue before making a special visit.

Free
Image courtesy of The John Rylands Library
Book now

What better place to lose yourselves this summer than in the cool Hogwarts-like splendour of one of the finest libraries in the world.

It’s the last chance to catch the Magic, Witches & Devils in the Early Modern World exhibition (closing 21 August) which looks at how the belief in the supernatural really did used to shape daily life. Superstitious families can learn more by taking a look at the historic Moses Gaster collection of amulets and charms (10 & 19 August) and be spooked at a special after hours exhibition viewing (18 August).

magic
Image courtesy of The John Rylands Library

Also marking the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s death, do not miss the opportunity to see Shakespeare’s First Folio and Sonnets – rarely on public display. A spooky Shakespeare family trail helps inspire to explore the nooks and crannies of the unforgettable Grade 1 listed building further.

Demonstrations of the historic printing press revealing how Shakespeare’s stories were brought to Manchester are a powerful reminder of the printed word and the enduring impact of this incredible literature in our information age.

What's on at John Rylands Research Institute and Library

Where to go near Magic, Witches and Devils at The John Rylands Library, Manchester

City Centre
Restaurant
Gusto

Gusto Manchester is a lavish Italian restaurant just off Deansgate, with 1920s décor and an extensive menu.

Manchester
Restaurant
KAJI

Tokyo meets Manchester in a series of awe-inspiring dishes and drinks at KAJI.

City Centre
Restaurant
Stow

The small plates at Stow are more impressive than most fine dining dishes, minus the fussiness. Powerful, fire-based cooking on Bridge Street.

City Centre
Restaurant
Six By Nico Deansgate

This famously affordable six-course fine dining restaurant has a new Mad Hatter menu – and it’s up there with the best.

See all places

What's on: Exhibitions

Until
Exhibitions
The Vessel at PINK

Chris Thompson transforms PINK into an uncanny, interactive cabinet of obsessions, inviting visitors to uncover its shifting, unstable narratives.

Free entry

Culture Guides

A doll with makeup peeks out of a hanging wall of butter yellow fabric. Red and black threads descend and cascade around the doll.
Exhibitions in the North

This season, exhibitions across the North West feel attuned to the world beneath the world – the forces and stories shaping how we see, feel and imagine.

Music in the North

Manchester’s starting the new year with a run of gigs from some of the country’s best underground exports.

A performer in a bright red costume sits on a snowy stage set, holding a large snowball between their legs with a surprised expression. The colourful winter backdrop features snowflakes, hills, a snowman, and a traffic light with glowing lights.
Family things to do in the North

Whether you’re after storybook theatre, museum wanderings or illusion-bending play spaces, there’s plenty to keep curiosity ticking through winter and beyond.

Textured portrait image of Jarman
Theatre in the North

Theatre across the North West splits between festive escape and sharp, urgent work exploring politics, power and resistance.

A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night
Cinema in the North

There's no shortage of great films out at the moment, whether you're looking for the latest blockbuster, that hot arthouse flick fresh from Cannes or a cosy classic.

Food and Drink in the North

Hear ye, hear ye. Take some eating-out tips from our wintertime guide to food and drink in Manchester and the North.

See all guides