Located in Chetham’s School of Music and known by the locals affectionately as ‘Chets’, the whole experience of visiting here is rather unique. First, some of the oldest part of the buildings that you walk through dates back to the 15th century. Then, if you’ve ever harboured even remote interest in Karl Marx, you’ll find the table at which he sat to pen the Communist Manifesto in this oldest library of the English-speaking world. In addition to a treasure trove of books, you’ll see rare tomes that were chained to a post in ancient times to prevent theft (samples of these still exist). That this library (still in use as a free public library) is housed in striking interiors is also a significant draw.