Home to three of the top universities in the UK and a booming student population, Manchester can start to feel a little crowded during exam season. Seemingly overnight, the city is filled with students and bagging a seat at your usual university library becomes quite a mission.
Getting up at the crack of dawn to secure the same, boring old library seat understandably mars anyone’s motivation. That’s why we’ve compiled a list of the best study spaces in Manchester, so you can say goodbye to staking out a place in the library and head for somewhere prettier, quieter and more comfortable.
John Rylands Library
If you’re a Harry Potter fan, head over to John Rylands library and it will feel like your Hogwarts letter never got lost in the post. The stunning architecture and quiet workspaces make for an ideal revision spot. There are even ‘historic toilets’, so the magic never ends.
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Turning the conventional coffee shop set-up on its head, this place charges you for your time, rather than your consumption. At 8p a minute and with a four-hour cap, you’ve got all the motivation and caffeine you’ll need to get cramming.
Designed with students and co-workers in mind, this place feels more like a living room than a library and may just become your favorite study spot.
Whitworth Gallery Cafe
Manchester is not famous for good weather, but that doesn’t mean you can’t be studying in the great outdoors. Well, almost…
At Whitworth Gallery café you can gaze out at the park and people-watch to your heart’s content, taking in the outside world from the other side of the floor-to-ceiling glass windows, happily remaining warm, dry and well-fed and watered inside the café.
If you’re in need of inspiration, take a stroll around the gallery for free to spark your imagination.
Chapter One Books
This charming independent bookstore in Manchester’s creative Northern Quarter also doubles as a coffee shop and an excellent writer’s nook.
Tuck yourself away in a typewriting booth or sprawl out on a sofa and get studying. A rare bonus is that it’s open until midnight, so it’s a great place for any night owls.
Central Library
This is quite possibly the fanciest place to study in Manchester. If you focus best in total silence, head to the grand, circular reading room on the first floor, complete with marble pillars and domed ceiling.
When you’re in need of a well-earned break, pop into the music room just next door and release some of that frustration with a go on the DJ decks or blast out some chopsticks on the piano.
North Tea Power
Endless coffee and tea options, an all-day brunch menu, the comfiest seating and a dog-friendly door policy: that’s North Tea Power in a nutshell. Whether you’re looking to do some solo revision or get started on a group project, you can settle in for a whole day at this Northern Quarter gem and never get bored.
Portico Library
Housed inside an impressive Greek Revival building, Portico Library is one of the smallest, but arguably best, libraries in the city. Once you’ve found the unassuming entrance, continue into the charming domed gallery, where you can work surrounded by walls of old, wooden bookcases packed with 19th century books.
Complete with a café serving delicious snacks and lovely staff, this revision spot is hard to top.
Nexus Art Café
A not-for-profit community space, Nexus Art Café provides an abundance of seating, relaxed vibes and homemade sweet treats.
You’ll be surrounded by unique, modern art created by up-and-coming artists in this kitsch, homely space. They also support local development and sustainability projects, so you can study in peace knowing any profits from your cappuccino are going to a great cause.
