Hereford Cathedral 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.

In this video, Emma Semple shares more about the history behind the Chained Library and answers our most commonly asked question, 'Why are all the books chained?'.

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.

For more information on visiting the Mappa Mundi & Chained Library, please visit our website: www.herefordcathedral.org/mappa-mundi-and-chained-library-exhibition