Library of the Week: Wren Library, Trinity College, University of Cambridge, England

Sir Christopher Wren designed the Wren Library at Trinity College, Cambridge University, and it was completed in 1695 under the Mastership of Isaac Barrow, a friend of Wren’s. A local master mason, Robert Grumbold, supervised the building work and chose exterior stone with a pinkish tinge that catches the evening sun quite beautifully.

The library has exquisite classical proportions and maximizes space and light by having bookcases below window level. On the first floor are a series of marble busts of college alumni, including Sir Isaac Newton and Francis Bacon. At the far end of the library is a statue of Lord Byron by Thorvaldsen. This was originally intended for Poet's Corner in Westminster Abbey but was refused; Trinity was glad to accept it.

Some of the College's most notable manuscripts are displayed in the Wren Library, including an eighth-century copy of the Epistles of St Paul, John Milton's shorter poems in his own handwriting, and the original manuscript of Winnie-the-Pooh. A modern library and reading room are not open to visitors.