About the library

The Archives and Chapter Library of St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle, have been an integral part of the life of the College of St George from its foundation in 1348. The first books were kept chained to desks in the Chapel. A separate library was built in the 1480s above the Dean's Cloister to house the growing number of books. Despite the loss of seventy of its manuscript books in 1612, donated to Sir Thomas Bodley for his new library in Oxford, the Library's holdings continued to expand. In 1692 the books were removed to the Vicars' Hall and since 1999 have been housed in air-conditioned book rooms in the Vicars' Hall Undercroft. The library now contains nearly 6000 rare books, including nine incunables, many still in their original bindings. They cover a wide range of subjects, including: religion, history, classics, geography, topography, navigation, bibliography, mathematics and medicine.

Accessing materials

Can I see live document availability on Library Hub Discover? No.

Can I obtain items via inter-library loan? No - this library does not participate in the inter-library lending scheme.

Can I visit the library to view materials? Yes - see the library's website for access details. If you wish to visit it is advisable to contact the library in advance, to ensure that they can accommodate you and that the material you need will be available.

Location

Browse all of St George's Chapel's records in Library Hub Discover here.