EXPLORING THE LIBRARIES OF ENGLAND
By Glynn Burrows
ON BIG BLEND RADIO: Glynn Burrows discusses some of historic and noteworthy libraries in England. Watch here in the YouTube player or download the episode on Podbean.
What springs to your mind when you hear the word: “Library”?
To me, it is the massive room in a stately house, full of old books from floor to ceiling. Armchairs that are placed at strategic places and library steps to get to the books from the top shelves. Side tables and an odd footstool finish off the picture for me and the roaring fire to keep me warm on those winter nights.
The other picture which also jumps into my head, is the public libraries in town. Much more clinical and full of computers, just the stark, steel office chairs, with the equally grey tables. No comfy armchairs and footstools, no side tables, and definitely no roaring fire.
Each library has its place, and I love being in both, but for totally different reasons. The stately house library has a smell and an atmosphere, with all the wood and old books. Always very restful and as the windows in stately house libraries almost always overlook the gardens, those comfy armchairs are perfect for reading and gazing out of the windows at the lush greenery of the lawns and colours of the gardens.
In England, we have many great libraries, containing millions of books. Since 1911, The British Library has received a copy of every book published or distributed in Britain, so, if you are looking for a book that falls into those categories, it is almost certainly in The British Library. The “Legal Deposit” scheme which ensures that all books are placed in that repository was actually established in 1610, but it wasn’t always adhered to. It does hold an estimated 200,000,000 items, and that is growing by the second.
Other libraries that are nationally and internationally important are The Bodleian at Oxford, The Cambridge University Library, and Trinity College at Dublin, as well as the other National Libraries. There are also many private collections, some of which specialise in areas of study, such as John Roland’s Library, Chetham’s Library, and the many libraries in the houses owned by The National Trust.
His Majesty The King has libraries in his own houses, and they also contain millions of books, but the Royal Collection has some of the unique documents and papers of state, including those relating to internationally important events such as American Independence and religious documents such as a Torah Scroll and a fifteenth-century edition of the Qur’an.
There are also massive collections of other media in other libraries such as the British Newspaper Archive and the Radio Times Hulton Picture Library, but whatever we are researching, there will be a library that can help us, however obscure we may think our subject is.
For example:
Gardening – The Royal Horticultural Society Library.
Art – The National Art Library at The Victoria & Albert Museum.
Furniture – The John Evan Bedford Library of Furniture History.
Fairs & Circus – National Fairground and Circus Library.
Most of the libraries I have been discussing are libraries of printed materials, but there are also libraries and archives that deal with manuscripts and drawings, so don’t forget that any subject you are researching may also have an archive attached to the library which will contain documents which are unique.
Many specialist libraries and archives are only open by appointment, and you may well be asked for identification. Don’t forget that these places often hold items that cannot be replaced, so security is extremely important.
If you do want to visit a library to carry out research, check their current opening times and make sure that you have prepared as much as you can before you go. Contact them by email and outline what you are looking for. Look at their online catalogue (if there is one) and pre-order if you can. Make sure that you know their rules. In archives centres it is pencil only and often bags need to be placed in lockers (make sure you have change in your pocket). Ask about photography, as you may need to buy a permit, and always make sure your ‘phone and laptop are fully charged as most places do not allow people to plug in their electronic items if they have not been tested.
The most important thing is to prepare as much as you can before you go. Time is always limited at these places, and you don’t want to waste time doing things which you could have done at home.
I adore libraries as they are some of the most important buildings in the world. In the 1970’s there was a series on TV here, called “Survivors” and it told the story of what could happen if there was a massive flu epidemic that wiped out 99% of the population. The story followed the usual line, with people robbing from shops and running out of things they needed, then fighting and etc, etc, etc but it really made me think. The most important building was actually the library. It wasn’t the hospital because you would need to know how to use the drugs or the equipment (which wouldn’t work because it required electricity) and it wasn’t the supermarket because the food would run out in a very short time. The library held knowledge about how to do everything.
That series was broadcast in the 1970s and now it is even more important, because all of our computers would be useless, so books would be gold dust.
One last thing that I have learned from one of my guests. One of the first things a victor does when they conquer a country is to burn their books. The best way to remove a culture and a sense of belonging is to remove the history and knowledge built up over generations. It is why so many libraries were burned by the Nazis and why it still happens today.
A book is not just a book, and a library is not just a collection of books.
Glynn provides customized, private tours and also helps his clients trace their English family history. Past guests have visited and experienced stately houses and gardens, castles and churches, ruins and villages, birding and wildlife, World War II airfields, and general area taster tours too. Accommodations can be in all types of establishment, from character buildings such as windmills, thatched cottages and castles, self-catering or five star luxury – just say what you want and it can be arranged. Nothing is too much trouble for Glynn! Visit www.Norfolk-Tours.co.uk
