Library

  Preparations for building the Library were started in November 1657, and the foundations were begun the following March. By the end of 1659 the Library was being glazed, and Bernard Rawlin received £14 12s for '504 foot of New square glass at 7d ye foot'. The books were put in place (chained) in 1664.

In 1779 James Wyatt submitted refurbishment plans for the Library. The present ceiling was put up and the windows on the west side blocked to give more space for books. These remained blocked until 1955. The present bookcases at right angles to the wall were built in 1891, and heating and lighting were installed in 1897, in which year undergraduates were admitted to the Library for the first time.

In 1950 a fire broke out between the Library and the Tower. During the repairs the History Library was created on the top floor (formerly undergraduate rooms). The work revealed a fireplace with a wall painting above it (now hidden) and two Elizabethan chimneys.