The Exhibition

Since its official opening by H.M. Queen Elizabeth II on 3 May 1996, the Mappa Mundi and Chained Library Exhibition at Hereford Cathedral has become an internationally acclaimed visitor attraction, entertaining people of all ages and nationalities, many of whom travel great distances specifically to view the unique treasures on display.

Housed within Hereford Cathedral's 15th century south west cloister and the award-winning New Library Building , the exhibition reveals the secrets of Mappa Mundi , the largest and most elaborate complete pre-15th century world map in existence using models, original artefacts and the latest interactive computer technology.

Visitors can also see the world's largest surviving Chained Library containing over 1,500 rare books dating from the 8th to the 19th centuries.

Open throughout the year the Mappa Mundi and Chained Library Exhibition provides full wheelchair access and is committed to achieving the best possible experience for all individuals; we have recently introduced interpretative facilities for the blind and partially sighted as well as visitors from overseas.

Evening tours, educational groups and parties of ten visitors or more can all be booked by contacting our Visits Office.

Opening Hours*
Summer (Easter - October):
Monday - Saturday: 10.00am - 4.15pm (last admission) Sunday: 11.00am - 3.15pm
Winter (November - Easter):
Monday - Saturday : 11.00am - 3.15pm Sunday: Closed

Admission Prices
Adults: £4.50 Concessions: £3.50
Family Ticket: £10.00 (Two adults & three children)
Small Family Ticket: £6.00 (One adult & three children)
* The exhibition is closed during part of January for essential cleaning and conservation work. You are advised to check opening times before your visit.

 

 

The Mappa Mundi

The Hereford Mappa Mundi is unique in Britain's heritage; an outstanding treasure of the medieval world..it records how 13th century scholars interpreted the world in spiritual as well as geographical terms.

The map bears the name of its author 'Richard of Haldingham or Lafford' (Holdingham and Sleaford in Lincolnshire). Recent research suggests a date of about 1300 for the creation of the map.

Mappa Mundi is drawn on a single sheet of vellum (calf skin) measuring 64" by 52" (1.58 x 1.33 meters), tapering towards the top with a rounded apex. The geographical material of the map is contained within a circle measuring 52" in diameter and reflects the thinking of the medieval church with Jerusalem at the centre of the world.

Superimposed on to the continents are drawings of the history of humankind and the marvels of the natural world. These 500 or so drawings include of around 420 cities and towns, 15 Biblical events, 33 plants, animals, birds and strange creatures, 32 images of the peoples of the world and 8 pictures from classical mythology.

Christopher de Hamel, a leading authority on medieval manuscripts, has said of the Mappa Mundi, '..it is without parallel the most important and most celebrated medieval map in any form, the most remarkable illustrated English manuscript of any kind, and certainly the greatest extant thirteenth century pictorial manuscript.'

 

 

The Chained Library

The Chained Library at Hereford Cathedral is a unique and fascinating treasure in Britain's rich heritage of library history.

There were books at Hereford Cathedral long before there was a 'library' in the modern sense. The Cathedral's earliest and most important book is the 8th century Hereford Gospels; it is one of 229 medieval manuscripts which now occupy two bays of the Chained Library.

Chaining books was the most widespread and effective security system in European libraries from the middle ages to the 18th century, and Hereford Cathedral's 17th century Chained Library is the largest to survive with all its chains, rods and locks intact.

A chain is attached at one end to the front cover of each book; the other end is slotted on to a rod running along the bottom of each shelf. The system allows a book to be taken from the shelf and read at the desk, but not to be removed from the bookcase.

The books are shelved with their foredges, rather than their spines, facing the reader (the wrong way round to us); this allows the book to be lifted down and opened without needing to be turned around - thus avoiding tangling the chain.

The specially designed chamber in the New Library Building not only means that the whole library can now be seen in its original arrangement as it was from 1611 to 1841, but also allows the books to be kept in controlled environmental conditions according to modern standards of presentation.

There has been a working theological library at the Cathedral since the 12th century, and the whole library continues to serve the Cathedral's work and witness both as a research centre and as a tourist attraction.

 

Recent Perspectives & Mappa Mundi Trust

In 1988, the Dean and Chapter of Hereford was faced with a major financial crisis.  Their mounting overdraft, combined with a deficit budget, had left them unable to continue with either the restoration of the Cathedral or the conservation of its treasures, the requirements of which were indeed enormous.

It soon became obvious therefore, that in order to preserve the collection for perpetuity, a new, purpose built location would be needed.

In the light of imminent bankruptcy however, this option seemed impossible so a disposal policy was considered and eventually the option of selling Mappa Mundi was adopted.

The level of public interest and criticism which consequently developed however, did much to highlight the serious cultural implications of the situation and after lengthy negotiations with the Government through the National Heritage Memorial fund, an agreement was reached by which the Dean and Chapter were able to transfer the collection to the Mappa Mundi Trust.

At the same time, the Trust was endowed with £2 million from the N.H.M.F to conserve and display to the public, the treasures thus transferred to them.  A further gift of £1 million by Mr. John Paul Getty Jr. made it possible to begin construction of the new purpose built environment needed to house these treasures.

In 1994, when All Saints Church in Hereford sought permission to sell its parochial chained library to raise funds for the restoration of the fabric, a group of well-wishers, together with further help from the N.H.M.F., secured this collection also for inclusion in the new exhibition at the Cathedral.

By the end of April 1996, construction work on the new Library Building had been completed and its official opening by H.R.H. Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh on 3 May, marked the end of a long and arduous struggle to ensure that the  treasures contained within it would be preserved forever in their rightful home - Hereford.