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TheWren Library is the library ofTrinity College inCambridge. It was designed byChristopher Wren in 1676 and completed in 1695.
The library is a single large room built over an open colonnade on the ground floor ofNevile'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 byGrinling Gibbons, and above these are plaster cast busts of notable writers through the ages. Other marblebusts standing on plinths depict notable members of the college and are mostly carved byLouis-François Roubiliac. A later addition is a full size statue ofLord Byron carved byBertel Thorvaldsen, originally offered toWestminster Abbey for inclusion inPoets' Corner, but refused due to the poet's reputation for immorality.[1]
Giovanni Battista Cipriani was commissioned to design the stained-glass window at the south end, andWilliam Peckitt completed it in 1775. The 5.03 m (16.5 ft) × 2.44 m (8 ft 0 in) window shows Fame or the muse of the college in yellow robes presentingIsaac Newton toKing George III, seated by anallegory ofBritannia, whileFrancis Bacon records the proceedings, and twocherubim and a bare-breasted woman with a trumpet herald the occasion. Considered a distraction to the scholars, thick curtains covered the window in the 19th century.[2]
On the east balustrade of the library's roof are four statues byGabriel Cibber representing Divinity, Law, Physic (medicine), and Mathematics.[3]
As part of the complex of buildings surrounding Nevile's Court, Great Court and New Court, the library is a Grade I listed building.[4]
The other library designed by Wren isLincoln Cathedral Library.
The library contains many notable rare books and manuscripts, many bequeathed by past members of the college.
Included in the collection are
In early 2014 the library began a major programme of digitisation. To date, over 1100 of the 1250 medieval manuscripts owned by the college have been digitised and are freely available to read online.[13]A link to the list of digitised manuscripts can be found in the external links below.
The library is open to the public,[14][15] but opening times are limited.[16] There is no admission charge for the Wren Library.
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