London offers its residents and visitors a wide range of educational resources. Applicants from different parts of the world enter the higher educational institutions in the capital of Great Britain. However, universities and colleges are not the only institutions that make the city famous in the sphere of education. Libraries remain extremely popular as well. Their funds include unique documents, scientific papers, works of art, textbooks and others. Some of them are the only originals existing in the whole world. The London Library can be considered the most famous one. However, there are still many other libraries in the city, which have an amazing history of development and unique works. One of these is the Guildhall Library. What are its main features? Learn more at london1.one.
History of creation and development
The history of the Guildhall Library development began as early as 1425. Since then, the institution has come a long way full of difficulties and successes. Unfortunately, we don’t know much information about the first years of its existence. Due to the lack of documentation and an accurate description, it is difficult to determine the specialisation of the library’s fund at the time. Most likely, the first collection included theological books. John Stow, the English historian and antiquarian, indicated the rather large dimensions of the building in some of his works. So, it could be a collection of the most unique publications in the world. However, during the reign of Edward VI, the books were taken to the new palace of the Duke of Somerset. Later, only one book of that time was returned to the library collection. This was a copy of Aurora by French poet Petrus Riga. It is a kind of commentary on the Bible with an emphasis on moral and allegorical interpretation. The book is of great historical significance.
After that, the Guildhall Library experienced a kind of decline. It wasn’t restored for almost 300 years. The building was rented for some time by Henry VIII’s surgeon and later served as a clothing store. The library flourished only in the 19th century. Its restoration was carried out by the Corporation of London. The renovated Guildhall Library opened its doors in 1828. The books for the renewed library were collected for almost five years. Initially, only members of the corporation had access to the fund. A little later, such an opportunity was given to writers. However, drastic changes took place in 1873. Then the library moved to a new building designed by the architect Horace Jones and was opened to the public.
Uniqueness of the library and its role in the modern world
The modern stage of the Guildhall Library development began after its global reconstruction in post-war times. During World War II, the library lost approximately 25,000 volumes and the building itself was damaged. Nowadays, it is a large public library, which can tell the history of London.
In general, the collection is divided into subjects. There are works devoted to the history of the city and region, English law, watchmaking, maritime history and many other interesting spheres. Here, you can also learn more about the business history of London by reading commercial periodicals, bibliographies, annual reports and many other available materials. Thus, you can even investigate the activities of a certain company. In the Marine Collection, you can find the characteristics of ships, transport routes and the number of casualties during shipwrecks. In general, a visit to the library is an opportunity to familiarise yourself with the capital of Great Britain.