Hereford Cathedral also houses one of only four known copies of the Magna Carta documents issued by Henry III in 1217. To access the Mappa Mundi & Chained Library, visitors will be asked to arrive at the main entrance of the cathedral and follow the one-way system through the building into the Chapter House Garden. Home to 1,500 texts, including 229 medieval manuscripts, the Chained Library is a surviving example of a once popular security system in European libraries. The Chained Library has three other books written by the same scribe. As well as service music, there are collections of popular vocal music, which bear witness to the more worldly and convivial tastes of the vicars choral, who had a musical club at which glees and other light music were performed with accompaniments of ale, cider and tobacco. The permanent collection holds over 1,500 rare books, including 229 medieval manuscripts in the Chained Library bays, as well as the famous medieval map, the Hereford Mappa Mundi. Please note that the books shown here may not be on display at the time of your visit. The chaining of 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. It was the only book to survive the sacking of the Cathedral in 1055 and this apparent miracle reinforced its value as a revered relic. Giving off serious Hogwarts vibes, Hereford Cathedral’s Chained Library is the largest of its kind in the world. Hereford Cathedral Library is also well known for its chained books as it is the only library of this type to survive with all of the chains, rods and locks still intact. The one-way route through the Mappa Mundi & Chained Library is easy to follow, but one of our volunteers may ask you to wait outside the Mappa Mundi chamber for other visitors to move on to ensure everyone’s visit is comfortable. In the Middle Ages a collection of 150 books constituted a major library. It has been rebuilt in its original arrangement, exactly as it had been from 1611 to 1841. 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. £20 for a family of 3 adults and 2 Children with no co concessions. Follow us on social media to add even more wonder to your day. The work was issued by subscription in seven parts between 1878 and 1884. The writing, all in the same hand, is late 13th century, and the illumination early 14th century. It was at the Cathedral in the 11th century and is said to have been the gift of Bishop Athelstan (d. 1056). The Chained Library continued to be added to until 1841, when it was dismantled to enable restoration work to be carried out on the Lady Chapel. Today the Cathedral Library and Archives conserve and make available the books and records needed to support the work of the Cathedral community in a continuum which can be traced back for over 900 years. In 1590 the library was moved into the Lady Chapel, which had become disused after the Reformation. What hotels are near Mappa Mundi & Chained Library Exhibitions? The Hereford Cathedral Chained Library is the largest surviving chained library in the world. In the early 17th century, when the bookcases you see today were made, libraries similar to it could be found in universities and cathedrals, but this is the only one still to be chained. Atlas Obscura and our trusted partners use technology such as cookies on our website to personalise ads, support social media features, and analyse our traffic. Then in 1854 the Revd Francis Tebbs Havergal was appointed deputy librarian and under his care the books and shelves were taken out of storage and placed in the muniment room over the North Choir Aisle, but in the wrong order. Sorry, there are no tours or activities available to book online for the date(s) you selected. If you would like to comment on this story or anything else you have seen on BBC Culture, head over to our Facebook page or message us on Twitter. By clicking on or navigating the site, you agree to our use of cookies. Henry Graves Bull, a local doctor, together with Robert Hogg, an expert in apple-lore, produced a descriptive catalogue of all the different types, which was illustrated with full-sized chromolithographs of over four hundred specimens, after paintings by Dr Bull’s daughter, Edith, and Alice B. Ellis. It is a late 13th century standard compilation of ecclesiastical law, based on the official pronouncements of the popes, which was originally brought together in the 12th century by the Bolognese lawyer Gratian, with the gloss (commentary) of Bartholomaeus of Brescia. 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 … The text was compiled by a German doctor, Hartman Schedel, and some copies were printed (like this one) in Latin, and some in German. It belonged to the library of the College of Vicars Choral (the men who performed the services in the Cathedral on a daily basis) and over the centuries many choirboys have scribbled in it. This small collection of rare books was uniquely locked up for safe keeping.