Two great buildings in one tour. We start at St Ann’s Church and tour inside either there, the Royal Exchange or the Hidden Gem church before we head to Deansgate for the only detailed tour of one of the world’s greatest libraries – Manchester’s No. 1 attraction on TripAdvisor – and the surrounding locale.

What’s the connection? Well, the John Rylands Library was built out of the proceeds of John Rylands’ cotton empire (and the Royal Exchange was the Parliament of the cotton lords) to contain his ever-expanding collection of bibles and religious books. St Ann’s is vehemently Protestant; the Hidden Gem equally so for Roman Catholicism. And the John Rylands Library is a temple to religious education.

* For more information, please see Walks & Tours: John Rylands Library.