A couple of years ago John and I were given a gift of an 'Adopted Book' by my sister and her husband which is housed at the Chapter Library of St George's Chapel and College at Windsor Castle. We were invited to an Open Day on Saturday as well as lunch in the Dungeons which was an added bonus.
The Adopt a Book scheme was initiated by the Deans and Canons as a way of funding the extensive programme of repairs for the very old and rare books that are kept at Windsor. Our book has a bookplate at the back dedicated to us and will remain in the family for a hundred years.
Just as we arrived the Changing of the Guards ceremony was taking place
We were escorted to the Chapter Library by the Senior Archivist
Passing these lovely buildings on the way - the Choirmaster and musicians from
St George's Chapel live here.
The library contains over 6000 rare books, many still in their original bindings, covering many subjects such as religion, history, classics, geography and medicine.
After a brief talk and visit to an exhibition of very rare books we were shown into the room where our book The Antiquities of Athens, Vol 1 is housed. John and I have a passion for architecture and our book was especially chosen with this in mind as I was also doing a Diploma in Classical Studies at the time. It was published in 1762 and reflects a time during the 18th century known as The Grand Tour when many wealthy Britons flocked to the classical cities of Europe to measure and record antiquities. This book was to become an essential sourcebook for the 19th century Greek Revival in Britain.
And so to lunch..
A lovely setting for this wonderful spread and a mini lecture whilst we were eating by one of the archivists on the history of the dungeons and its various inmates over the last 800 years
After our visit we were free to wander around the grounds as well as visit St George's Chapel
We had wonderful day at Windsor and hope you enjoyed our trip as much as we did.
Bye for now
Patricia
How interesting, do you get to browse through the book or are you not allowed to touch it at all?
ReplyDeleteI visited Windsor over 20 years ago while living in London and it's beautiful as your photos show, unfortunately the ones I took then of my visit were damaged while being developed!
Hello Paula, yes we can flick through the books carefully and it is such an honour to do so. Patricia
DeleteIsnt it just the most beautiful place?
ReplyDeleteYes it is Anne - and we're so lucky to have these places within fairly easy reach.
DeletePatricia
What an amzing day. I had absolutely no idea that it was possible to adopt a book! Jx
ReplyDeleteHow fabulous was that! Love the little eating arches. x
ReplyDeleteYes it really was a bonus to have lunch there.
DeletePatricia
Hello Patricia,thanks again for this lovely lesson and tour ....Ron and I are still in Scotland and we are of to Glamis Castle today...
ReplyDeleteHugs
Erna
Thankyou Erna, I'm glad you enjoyed the tour. I hope you are enjoying your beloved Scotland and also the trip to Glamis Castle. Are you there for long? Nice to hear from you.
DeletePatricia x
When I first read the post title, I thought Patricia went to lunch with the queen. Almost. :-) I love this idea of adopting a book. I love books and especially old libraries. What a great thing to do. And to be part of history...
ReplyDeleteYou got many great photos. The dungeon is beautiful. What was on the menu for lunch?
Hugs from Holland ~
Heidi
Hello Heidi, thanks for your comment. Yes it is a brilliant idea to adopt a book and a lovely opportunity to see so many old ones too. Lunch was a buffet style with plenty of wine to accompany it.
DeletePatricia x
Looks like you had a great day.
ReplyDeleteHi Barb, thanks for your comment. If it wasn't for you and Den we wouldn't have had the opportunity of visiting the Library at all, so thanks again for our everlasting gift. Can't wait for you to be up and running in Blogland so we can share all our news.
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