Historic libraries · London
Wren Library
Wren Library — a Grade I-listed library in england-london, United Kingdom.
John Sutton — CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons licence
Plan your visit
- Typical visit
- 45 min–1.5 h
- Limited wheelchair access
About
Wren Library is a Grade I-listed building in england-london, United Kingdom. Grade I status is conferred by Historic England (or Cadw, Historic Environment Scotland or NIEA equivalents) on buildings of exceptional national interest. See the linked Wikipedia article for full historical and architectural details.
Photo gallery
From the Wikipedia article
The Wren Library is the library of Trinity College in Cambridge. It was designed by Christopher Wren in 1676 and completed in 1695.
Excerpt from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0. See the source article linked in Sources below.
Background
Description
The library is a single large room built over an open colonnade on the ground floor of Nevile's Court. The floor of the library proper within the upper storey lies several feet below the external division between the two storeys, reconciling the demands of use with the harmony of architectural proportion. It is credited as being one of the first libraries to be built with large windows to give comfortable light levels to aid readers. The book stacks are arranged in rows perpendicular to the walls under the intervals between the windows. At the end of each stack is a fine limewood carving by Grinling Gibbons, and above these are plaster cast busts of notable writers through the ages. Other…
Visiting
The library is open to the public, but opening times are limited. There is no admission charge for the Wren Library. <gallery widths="250" heights="188"> Cambridge University, Wren Library, Trinity College.jpg|Historical photograph of the exterior, circa 1870 Wren Library, Trinity College, Cambridge University.jpg|Historical photograph of the interior, circa 1870 </gallery>
Sourced from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Coordinates
- 52.2071, 0.1149
- County
- Cambridgeshire
- District
- Cambridge
- Parish
- Cambridge, unparished area
- Postcode
- CB2 1TJ
- Parliamentary constituency
- Cambridge
- Established
- 1695
- Official site
- www.mrandmrsclarks.co.uk
Sources
- wikidata: Q8037746 (CC0)
- wikipedia: Wren Library (CC BY-SA 4.0)
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Frequently asked questions
- Where is Wren Library?
- Wren Library is in Cambridgeshire, London, United Kingdom (postcode CB2 1TJ), in the parish of Cambridge, unparished area.
- Is Wren Library a listed building?
- Wren Library is officially recognised as Grade I listed.
- How do I get to Wren Library?
- Drivers can navigate to postcode CB2 1TJ. It sits within the Cambridge parliamentary constituency.