On the first Tuesday of each month we aim to have the Library open to the public from 10.00am to 12.00pm. This is subject to the availability of sufficient volunteers.
You can find the entrance to the Library within the Cathedral Treasury and Shop, located in the North Transept. Please note that access to the Library requires ascending a narrow spiral staircase.
There has been a library in the cathedral since medieval times in various locations, but it was moved to its current position and refurbished in 1969 and contains about 10,000 items. The Library suffered much damage during the Reformation and the Civil War, so almost all the books we have today have been acquired since then, some dating back to pre-Reformation times. We have acquired both individual books and whole collections from private libraries and the books cover a range of subjects, not just Bibles, prayer books and works of theology, but books on cookery, art, horticulture, poetry, philosophy and music, to name just a few. We have a number of very rare and valuable works and are still making new additions, a recent example being a book of prints by Marc Chagall. The Library also has some intriguing stained glass windows and unusually well-preserved stone corbels.
One of the most interesting aspects of this project covers the dramatic fall of the Cathedral spire in 1861. To view a gallery of images digitized as part of ‘The Collapse of the Cathedral Spire: An inspiring tale of a crumbling landmark and Victorian builders’ HLF project please click here.
Each year the library purchases a small number of new books on a diverse range of ecclesiastically-themed books to aid the further learning of the Cathedral Community, and these are available for loan. A list of the current titles is available here.
The Vinegar Bible
Visitors to the Cathedral Library this year will be given a unique opportunity to see a rare copy of the famed ‘Vinegar Bible’.
Printed by John Baskett in 1717, these versions of the King James Bible would have been very expensive and owned by royalty, and prominently displayed as a status symbol. But they were not intended to be read, which is why the Bibles were filled with typographical and typesetting errors, the most blatant being the chapter heading in Luke 20, verse 9, which reads ‘The Parable of the Vinegar’ instead of ‘The Parable of the Vineyard’ – hence the Bible’s nickname.
This edition of the ‘Vinegar Bible’ was brought to the Cathedral Library from Rye Parish Church in 1936 to ‘dry out’ and the Cathedral is very grateful to them for the loan of this fascinating and rare Bible.
A second Vinegar Bible, together with a Prayer Book, was donated to the Library by the Duke of Newcastle in 1753.
Visiting the Cathedral Library
Please note that on a day to day basis the library is a private place of work and is therefore closed to visitors, however it can be viewed by appointment.
If you would like to arrange a visit to the Library once works are completed please email: bookings@chichestercathedral.org.uk.
You can find the entrance to the Library within the Cathedral Treasury and Shop, located in the North Transept. Please note that access to the Library requires ascending a narrow spiral staircase consisting of 40 steps.
If you would like to find out more please contact the Sub-Librarians at: library@chichestercathedral.org.uk Please note that email is the best way to get in touch, as the library is only staffed for a few hours each week.
