Manchester's oldest building is re-opening today after the longest closure in its history.
Chetham's Library is the oldest public library in the English-speaking world.
Doors are set to re-open today for the first time in 15 months due to coronavirus - the longest time the library has remained closed in more than 350 years.
READ MORE: How the plight of a blind man sparked an outpouring of kindness
It was open continuously since 1653.
To mark the occasion, new visitor tours will reveal rare items from the library's priceless collection.
Personal stories, historic maps and documents and rarely seen images of historic Manchester will also be available to visitors - some for the first time.
The 600-year-old medieval buildings, once home to Manchester's priests, have been in continuous use as a library for more than 350 years.
Now a museum as well as a working library, the pandemic forced its temporary closure, but its bookshelves were set to re-open to academic readers and visitors from Wednesday.
The library said items and facsimiles from its collection will be on display for the first time.
Visitors will be able to see a wide range of Manchester-related treasures, highlighting the development of the city from its market-town origins through the Industrial Revolution and into the modern age.
Items on show include the seventeenth-century manuscript of the first history of Manchester, original watercolours by the town's antiquarian one-legged saddlemaker, Thomas Barritt (1743-1820), and the first printed map of the town.
Fergus Wilde, a librarian at Chetham's Library, said: "It has been 15 long months since we last welcomed visitors or academic researchers through our doors.
"This is our longest closure in 350 years, so it is with great joy and relief that we now welcome people back into our historic buildings.
"Chetham’s medieval buildings are the oldest in Manchester, and have survived as a small town grew into a modern city.
"The library’s wide-ranging collections have a remarkable story to tell about Manchester's growth and success.
"As we re-open our doors for guided tours and academic readers alike, we can't think of a better place to start than by showcasing that Manchester story.
"Our new guided tours will be for smaller numbers at first, but they will offer visitors a deeper insight into our collections than ever before."
The library shares its site with Chetham’s School of Music and The Stoller Hall.
The school and library were both founded in the will of Humphrey Chetham, a wealthy textile merchant, in 1653.
Today, the library is a Grade I-listed building with a priceless collection.
To book tickets to Chetham's Library tours, enquire about reading room access,or to read about the library’s Covid-safety measures, visit www.chethams.org.uk.
Tours will initially be limited to groups of six people, in line with government guidelines.
