The Reading Room on the top floor of the New Library Building houses the modern lending and reference library and is also the place to study books and documents from our historical collections. The lending library includes books on philosophy, ethics, biblical studies, theology, spirituality, pastoral care and teaching, church history, interfaith studies, ecology and climate crisis, British history, literature and biography. There is a good stock of books for Advent and Lent. Membership of the lending library is free and members can borrow up to ten books for eight weeks at a time. New books are regularly added to stock.

The reference books include an extensive local history collection. There are also books on bibliography, book history, illuminated manuscripts, church history, biblical study, church architecture, ecclesiastical arts and crafts, sacred music and the history of maps. There is a print copy of the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography and a run of Crockford’s Clerical Directory from 1890 to the present.

Details of all our printed books, including reference books and books for loan, can be found on the online catalogue. A postal loan service is now available at a charge of £15 per parcel, including return postage. Please contact [email protected] if you wish to use the service.

A list of all our periodicals, historic and current, can be downloaded here.

Our Virtual Library Portal has links to useful online resources.

The reading room is freely available to anyone during opening hours for private study and consultation of modern collections and finding aids. It has wi-fi, a microfilm reader, and staff-operated photocopying facilities.

Click here for opening times and visiting information.