The enchanting history of Oxford University’s 750-year-old medieval library

Currently, only a few volumes in the library are chained together purely for exhibition purposes. And the rest of the books are now placed in a modern style with the spines exposed. But otherwise, the medieval room remains a remarkable time capsule of the library’s history. Near the entrance, you can also see a 13th-century chest that Walworth believes is original. The historic library is still used by students during term time. And this continued use is a key factor in the superlatives often applied to Merton’s library era. “It’s hard to imagine an early library being in continuous use,” Webber said.

Libraries are mythologized

Claims about Merton’s longevity first came to prominence during the Victorian era, when Merton became more of a tourist destination. Visitors will marvel at the stained glass windows and rare books, including a 15th-century version of the Canterbury Tales. “This is one of the earliest books printed in England,” Walworth explains. “What is unique about Merton’s copy is the hand-illuminated border.” Among those who visited the library was American author Ralph Waldo Emerson, who mentioned it in his 1856 travelogue The Character of England. In 1884, a young Beatrix Potter visited the library and described in her diary the library’s “beautiful oak roof” and “dusty smell of antiquity”.

By this time, books and magazines increasingly described libraries in archival terms. Ann Oxford Guide of 1878 Merton’s library has been described as “now the oldest in England”. The 1885 edition of the Encyclopædia Britannica describes the library as “England’s oldest existing library”. Gradually, these claims expanded. A 1928 Times article details an event in which the Oxford Preservation Trust declared it the “oldest library in the world”.

Kindly provided by the Director and Fellows of Merton College Oxford

This growing awareness of Merton’s longevity is also referenced in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s classic novel, The Great Gatsby. In the book, the title character, a millionaire, fills his mansion with imitations of history’s most prestigious rooms. It is no surprise, then, that his books exist in a recreation he calls the “Merton College Library.” As Walworth says, by then “Merton’s library had become synonymous with the ‘best’ ancient library.” She even points out that Fitzgerald’s fictional scenario has roots in reality. “The Dining Club at Princeton University has a historical room. one of them Based at Merton College Library. ”