Piratical Pandemonium at the John Rylands Library, Deansgate

03 Jun 2014

Mad pirate singing, a treasure hunt, and spooky cellar tours activities were all part of a night of madness at John Rylands on 16 May

From the moment the young pirates arrived, dressed in an amazing array of costumes, there was a real buzz of excitement throughout the building. After a ‘welcome aboard’ briefing and some very boisterous pirate chanting and singing, everyone decamped to the Historic Reading Room, first to be filmed by BBC North West Tonight for that night’s show and then to meet Mike Brownlow, author of the children’s book ‘Ten Little Pirates’. He entertained the new crew with an interactive rendition of his book and a ‘how to draw a pirate’ session.

The pirates broke into smaller crews to explore the building on a treasure hunt, explore the cellars (and hear a particularly spooky pirate story) and make such piratical items as treasure maps, pirate hats and eyepatches. Decorating their own parrot was also a popular activity.

Between these activities, the children (and their parents!) enjoyed snuggling up in sleeping bags to watch Muppets Treasure Island. The evening concluded with another pirate story, written by Rachel Fairburn, of the Visitor Engagement Team, the perfect lead-in to snoozing the night away.

Over breakfast, the families chattered happily about their amazing experiences and the Library has had some fantastic feedback. A huge thanks to all the staff and volunteers involved in the event.