John Rylands Library: The Inspiration Behind Hogwarts

The John Rylands Library in Manchester, with its neo-Gothic architecture, is considered the inspiration for the Hogwarts library. It was built with money inherited by Enriqueta Augustina Tennant from her husband, John Rylands.

Enriqueta, born in Cuba in 1843, came from a family of plantation owners. After her husband's death, she dedicated her fortune to the creation of the library, which was inaugurated on January 1, 1900.

The library houses archives of unique value, including handwritten notes by Alan Turing. Its construction cost the equivalent of 117 million euros in today's money.

John Rylands was a self-made British multi-millionaire, known for his philanthropy and support for the abolition of slavery.