Rylands Library Manchester England, UK

The Rylands Library is stunning. After the death of multimillionaire John Rylands in 1888, his widow Enriqueta Rylands had this fabulous neo-Gothic building constructed in his honor.

The collection began with the 1892 purchase of the private library of the Second Earl Spencer. Today the library includes many rare books and prints.

The long name is the John Rylands Research Institute and Library and it's located in central Manchester. As you approach it, it looks like a Cathedral.

 Also among the holdings are medieval manuscripts, an original Gutenberg Bible, and the oldest known fragment of the Gospel of John (see fragment link)

The Rylands Library also houses a collection of art works in addition to the art in old prints and manuscripts. Visitors will see paintings, sculptures, ceramics and glass objects. According to artuk, artists represented include: Albrecht Dürer, Lucas Cranach the elder, Andrea Mantegna, Hans Holbein the younger, Rembrandt van Rijn, William Hogarth, William Blake, and William Morris.

The Rylands Library is now part of the University of Manchester.

Notes on the inside

Coffee shop

Book and gift shop

Toilets

Special exhibitions vary - see the website for details 

There was no charge to enter in 2021 

Please check out my website   www.suttong.com

   and see my books on   AMAZON       or  GOOGLE STORE

Resources

Rylands Website link

Google Map for the Rylands Library in Manchester

Historic notes

The Rylands Library took 10 years to build.

It opened 1 January 1900.

Enriqueta paid £210,000 in 1892 for the 2nd earl Spencer's collection.

Enriqueta paid £155,000 in 1901for the earl of Crawford's collection.

The Rylands Library is the third largest academic library in the UK.

Enriqueta Augustina Rylands was born in Havana, Cuba 31 May 1843. She lived in New York and Paris before coming to Manchester in the 1860s. She became a companion to Martha who was John Rylands' second wife. After Martha died, Enriqueta and John married 6 October 1875. Read more at this link.

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Manchester Art Gallery

Visit Manchester England

Manchester Art Gallery England, UK

 Photo: Adoration of the Golden Calf 1660 

by Claude Gelee, called Lorrain

The Manchester Art Gallery was founded by artists in 1823. It is located on Mosley Street.

I visited in October 2021. Following are a few photos.

The Chariot Race c1882 by 

Alexander von Wagner (1838-1919)

Oil on canvas

Was he inspired by the novel, Ben Hur published in 1880?

Girl with Beret, 1951

by Lucian Freud (1922-2011)

Oil on Canvas

The Dinner Hour, Wigan 1874

by Eyre Crowe (1824-1910)

Oil on Canvas

A Victorian will scene in the village of Wigan, Lancashire

Into thy hands Lord 1879

Briton Riviere 1840-1920

Oil on Canvas

The knight faces the darkness

Writing Desk designed by William Burges

Made by Gualbert Saunders 1865-67

Painted pine and mahogany with brass and leather

Notes

The Gallery is not open everyday so check for days and hours

Inside the museum

Gallery Cafe

A museum shop

Places to rest

Activities

Location: Mosley Street, Manchester M2 3JL

Tel 0161 235 8888

Manchester Art Gallery Website

Google map Manchester Art Gallery

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National Gallery of Art, London England

National Portrait Gallery London, England

Tate Modern Art Gallery London

Victoria & Albert Museum, London England

Visit Manchester England

Please check out my website   www.suttong.com

   and see my books on   AMAZON       or  GOOGLE STORE

Also, consider connecting with me on    FACEBOOK   Geoff W. Sutton    

   TWITTER  @Geoff.W.Sutton    

East Lancashire Railway Bury Greater Manchester, England, UK

 If you like historic steam trains, I recommend a ride on the East Lancashire Railway located in Bury, which is part of Greater Manchester and easily reached by the tram.

It's a short walk from the tram stop to the railway station. I bought tickets for an afternoon ride then went across the street to the Transport Museum, which I recommend.

As you can guess, it was Halloween the day I visited.

You can purchase food and drinks from the Café.

I took some 4K video on the ride from Bury to Rawtenstall. This video on my SuttonTravels YouTube channel is just under 5 minutes long.

Another video shows the train leaving the station--it's less than one minute.

They have a nice gift shop and friendly staff. I bought some items for my grandchildren.

See the highlighted text for related posts.

Visit Manchester England

Bury Transport Museum

Middleton Railway in Leeds

Please check out my website   www.suttong.com

   and see my books on   AMAZON       or  GOOGLE STORE

If you are interested in British-American culture, you might be interested in Mind the Gap

If you would like a FREE download of Mind the Gap, click this link    https://www.mindthegap.sunflower101.com/

Visit Manchester England, UK

 

Manchester is a large industrial city in Northwest England. The city is part of an urban county known as Greater Manchester within the historic county of Lancashire.

In the 2011 census, the Greater Manchester Population was 2,682, 528.

I arrived at Victoria Station from Liverpool and stayed downtown. After stowing my luggage, I took the bus to the Imperial War Museum-North. It's worth a visit if you are interested in the history of Britain at war since 1900.

Outside the museum, you see the river and bridge at the top of this page. I walked over to the Lowry Centre and couldn't resist the bargains.

Manchester has a lot to offer. I spent several hours at the Manchester Art Gallery.

Photo: The Chariot Race c 1882 by Alexander von Wagner

Photo: Writing desk c 1865

One fascinating place is the John Rylands Research Institute and Library known as The Rylands. The founder was Enriqueta Rylands. Enriqueta was born in Cuba in 1843. After the death of her parents, she went to England and was a companion to Martha Rylands who died in 1875. She then married John Ryland who made his millions in cotton manufacturing. Following John Rylands' death, Enriqueta build the Library, which opened in 1900. In 1972, it became part of the University of Manchester.

On another day, I took a trip up to Bury. There's a lot to see in Bury--including a ride on the historic East Lancashire Railway.

And the nearby Bury Transport Museum

So, there's a lot more to see in Manchester.

 The National Football Museum (Soccer for US friends)

 Science and Industry Museum

 The Manchester Museum

 People's History Museum

 Manchester Cathedral

 And there are parks, canals, and places to shop

Click on the highlighted links to learn more of my visit to Manchester

Google Map of Manchester

Please check out my website   www.suttong.com

   and see my books on   AMAZON       or  GOOGLE STORE

If you are interested in British-American culture, you might be interested in Mind the Gap

If you would like a FREE download of Mind the Gap, click this link    https://www.mindthegap.sunflower101.com/

USS Arizona Memorial Pearl Harbor Hawaii

 

The site of the USS Arizona Memorial in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii is both stunning and sober for this watery grave is a sacred space.

A wall of names reminds us of the Americans who lost their lives while serving their country.

I took a video, which tracks the story as provided by the National Park Service.

#PearlHarbor #USSArizona

Resources to learn more

December 7th DVD

December 7th The Pearl Harbor Story DVD

Pearl Harbor 80 years later LIFE paperback

Geoffrey W Sutton

www.suttong.com

Bethlehem, Palestine

Bethlehem is the traditional birthplace of Jesus. The Basilica of the Nativity is built on the traditional birth site. The photo below reveals the 4-foot high entrance reportedly designed in the 1600s to keep men on horses from entering.

The photo below is of an altar within the basilica.

The photo with the star marks the traditional site of Jesus' birth.

The next photo depicts a person praying at the altar of the traditional manger site where Jesus was lay following his birth.

The Church of St Catherine is a Roman Catholic Church next to the Basilica of the Nativity. It was built in the 1800s and is reported to be above the cave complex where Jesus was born. Earlier churches were built on the site with evidence of one from the era of the Crusaders (c 1100s).

This church is the site of the midnight mass broadcast each Christmas Eve.

St Catherine lived in Alexandria Egypt in the 300s. Her conversion story is based on a vision of the Virgin Mary and baby Jesus. The Eastern Orthodox Church celebrated her feast day 24-25 November.

Inside the Church of St Catherine

A window in the Church of St Catherine

The caves below the church are connected to the Basilica of the Nativity. According to tradition, Jerome ( Statue below)  translated the Latin Bible there. 

Notes

Photos are from 1996

My website is www.suttong.com

Google Map Church of Nativity Bethlehem

My wife and were on a tour organized by EO of Lakeland, Florida: Link Educational Opportunity Tours

Nazareth Israel

Nazareth is a large city in Northern Israel. In Christian history, Nazareth was the home town of Jesus and the traditional place where Mary learned from the angel Gabriel that she would become pregnant by God's Spirit with a son who would be called Jesus. 

The photo above is a church built on the traditional site where Mary learned of her pregnancy. The event is referred to as the annunciation. And the church is the Church of St. Gabriel. It is a Greek-Orthodox Church.

Scholars estimate that Nazareth was a small village of only a few hundred people during the time of Jesus. The city is mentioned several times in the gospels and Jesus is known as "Jesus of Nazareth."

A few photos from inside the Church of St Gabriel.

The photo below is the traditional site of Mary's Well named for the place where she is believed to have received the angel's message.

Notes

My wife and were on a tour organized by EO of Lakeland, Florida: Link Educational Opportunity Tours

The photos are from our trip in 1996.

Related post:  Bethlehem

Google Map of Nazareth west of Lake Galilee

Contact information

Website www.suttong.com

Books on Amazon 

Books on GOOGLE

Middleton Railway in Leeds England, UK

 

I visited the Middleton Railway on 31 October 2021 and took a ride on a steam train. This post includes photos from the Railway and a YouTube video. If you love trains, the Middleton Railway is worth a visit.

I arrived just before the train was scheduled to leave so I jumped on the guards van.

At the end of the short journey, we got off for a short break before the return.

The engine was decoupled, reversed, and coupled to the van where I was standing for the return trip.

Here's a photo of the platform when we arrived at Middleton station.

I traded cameras with a passenger to get this photo.

You walk through the shed between the train and the entrance where there are a few engines.

This is the building you are looking for when you arrive. I walked from the nearest bus stop.

Despite the heavy rain, I enjoyed the ride.

Here's a short edited video to give you a better feel for the experience.

From my YouTube Channel SuttonTravels https://youtu.be/D13IJPtojyQ

About the Middleton Railway

This railway is the oldest railway in continuous use in the world. It began in 1758 as a waggonway. Horses pulled wagon loads of coal to Leeds, which fueled their industries.

In 1812, the railway began using steam locomotives, which used a large rack wheel connected to cogs.

Their success led to the manufacture of steam locomotives in Leeds.

Notes

Most of the videos were taken with my Lumix 4K Digital Camera

Most of the photos were taken with my Google Pixel Phone

There's a collection of locomotives onsite.

You can buy books and souvenirs.

There are special events throughout the year.

Link to the Middleton Railway website

Google Map Middleton Railway

My website www.suttong.com

ad. Buy Mind the Gap - to learn the often funny yet informative differences between British and American culture in words and phrases.

Mind the Gap on AMAZON  and  GOOGLE

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