‘Scripts, Skeletons & Scriptures: Writing About Writing in Yorkshire.

[Human]

Having entered the hallowed John Rylands Library, there were two items that I particularly wanted to see.



First, this Gutenburg Bible from the 1450s, soon after the invention of the printing press. This is one of the most significant books to ever be published and I was overjoyed that I had the opportunity to actually set eyes on this amazing and rare publication.




Second, P52. The “P” stands for “Papyrus” (I think). This is from the second century AD, probably very early in the century, and it is the oldest known fragment of the New Testament. It contains part of John’s Gospel. I’ve been reading about this in books for decades. I never in my wildest dreams thought I’d ever get to see it in front of me. Just, wow.



But then I had a look at the rest of the permanent displays, and I was blown away by what I saw.

An original copy of Newton’s Laws of Motion…



Notes and calculations by Alan Turing of Bletchley Park fame…



An actual, first edition, Shakespeare’s First Folio!... This really did blow me away.



A document containing the autograph of Queen Elizabeth I…



But believe it or not, what I saw next was both unexpected and exciting: a drawing and an actual score by Delia Derbyshire. Derbyshire headed up the BBC Radiophonic Workshop in the 1960s, and was largely responsible (along with nominal composer Ron Grainer) for the Doctor Who theme of 1963: one of the most influential, important and (given the technology at the time) astounding pieces of electronic music ever. Over the past decade or so she’s been getting the recognition she deserves, and a part of that recognition is being displayed in the Permanent Exhibitions at John Rylands Library. Hear, Hear!

 

[Human]

More scenes from Rylands Library...

A 200-year-old printing press that is still in use today.


The old Library building. Ironically, the Mr Cussons who was responsible for the Library "Cleaning" was the same Mr Cussons of Cussons Soap fame!





We then stepped into the Reading Room...










Mr Rylands himself...




The only not-very-impressive thing about the Library is that it has not, in my opinion, got the balance right between preservation and access. In its Special Collections it has a 1517 copy of Martin Luther's 95 Theses: one of the most significant documents (if not the most significant) of the last 1500 years. Weeks ago, I filled in all the forms and jumped through all the hoops, including using my ".edu.au" email address, asking to see it. Just to see it. I didn't even want to touch it. I provided a good educational reason for my request, related to what I teach at my school.

They refused. Apparently I'm not important enough.

Overall, though, what I did see at the Library blew me away. Oh, and given that it cost a ridiculously cheap GBP 15, I just had to buy this large, full-colour, beautifully-produced Library guide. Weight be damned -- it was an absolute bargain!

 

[Human]

After that, Steve showed me some of the sights and sounds of Manchester as we ambled to my hotel. Though he did seem to need to stop for a drink quite often... Having said that, there's nothing quite like being shown around like a local. It was a real treat!

Mr Thomas's Chop House, although we didn't sit down here as they didn't have "Corned Beef Hash" on the menu, whatever that is.



We did stop here at Sam's Chop House.




This establishment did indeed have Corned Beef Hash, but Steve had forgotten he wanted it by then so we each enjoyed a pint, in the presence of Lowry himself.

I put my foot down and insisted on having a drink that was colder than room temperature. So I had a cider.


We then walked through the city centre which was throbbing. It was a glorious Saturday evening with warm weather and a lack of rain, and there was a happy, friendly, celebratory air to the city. I was really impressed -- it reminded me of George St or The Rocks in Sydney on a Saturday evening, but friendlier and better behaved. It left me believing that Manchester doesn't deserve the bad rap it gets.




Our third pub stop of the late afternoon. Steve had another pint. I insisted on a half.



These pieces of wood are apparently from the eleventh century.


Finally I got to my hotel just before 6pm. I'm staying at Aparthotel Roomzzz Manchester Piccadilly which I booked for $258, of which $200 was this year's AmEx Platinum Edge travel credit. The room is nice enough, and in quite a good location.


I was too tired to venture out far.



And I came back to my room with this, my final dinner in England. Seems fitting. This is the British version of the Doner Kebab.


One other comment. My wife and I spent two weeks in Scotland in 2022, and I think we saw two Union Jacks (and about 500 Scottish St Andrew flags) in two weeks. Here, the Union Jack is everywhere. England and Scotland really are very different countries!