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Mr Monkey visits the John Rylands Library, 18th April


"They all look very serious standing on their perches"

Mr Monkey looking across the Reading Room from one of the study alcoves Mr Monkey looking at the statue of Caxton

Mr Monkey walked quietly through the Historic Reading Room, carefully avoiding disturbing anyone who was reading. He popped into one of the study alcoves, and inspected the decorative light switches that rather resembled taps. The John Rylands Library was the first building in Manchester to use electric lighting. Mr Monkey also looked up at the twenty statues of Bible translators, historians, philosphers, playwrights, poets, preachers, printers, theologians and scientists that stand on ledges along the room. Each was chosen by Mrs Rylands as a leader in his field, and each of Robert Bridgeman's statues holds something to show what he did.

Coverdale, Rainolds, Tyndale, Wycliffe - Bible translator
Herodotus, Gibbon - historian
Bacon, Thales - philospher
Shakespeare - playwright
Goethe, Homer, Milton - poet
Bunyan, Wesley - preacher
Caxton, Gutenberg - printer
Calvin, Luther - theologian
Dalton, Newton - scientist

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