1 – Hereford Cathedral Archives
Hereford and Worcestershire Earth Heritage Trust
Geological Records Centre,
University of Worcester,
Henwick Grove,
Worcester,
WR2 6AJ
Tel: 01905 542014
building.stones@worc.ac.uk
www.EarthHeritageTrust.org
Hereford Cathedral Archive
Hereford Cathedral Library & Archives provide a unique research facility for readers
and scholars. This cultural resource, formed over many hundreds of years, continues
to develop. It includes a historic collection of medieval manuscripts, early printed
books, a substantial archive of cathedral activities from medieval times to the present
day, and a modern reference and lending library.
Visiting us
Hereford Cathedral Library and Archives are housed in the New Library
Building, the entrance to which is in Palace Yard, between the west end of the
Cathedral and the entrance to the Bishop's Palace, adjacent to the north end of
Gwynne Street. Please press the ‘CALL’ button to the left of the door. Once you are
inside the building, the Reading Room is on the second floor, accessible by stairs or
lift. All areas are accessible to wheelchair users.
Opening Times
Tuesdays: 10 am – 4pm
Wednesdays: 10 am - 4pm
Thursdays: 10am – 4pm
First Saturday in the month: 10am - 1pm
Other times by appointment.
Reading Room
The reading room is freely available to anyone during opening hours for private study
and consultation of modern collections and finding aids. It is equipped for the use of
personal computers, and has a microfilm reader, photocopying facilities, and
photographic service.
Historic Collections
The historic collections consist of all the medieval manuscript books, early printed
(pre-1801) books, some nineteenth-century works, manuscript and printed music, as
well as prints, drawings and photographic materials. Requests to consult historic
material must be made well in advance.
Archives
The Cathedral Archives consist of the records of the Dean & Chapter documenting the
history of the cathedral and its considerable property throughout the county from the
early Middle Ages until the present day. The collection includes title deeds, manorial
and ecclesiastical court records, minutes, accounts, maps, architectural drawings and
personal papers.
Registered Charity No. 1144354
Company Limited by Guarantee No. 7586089
Registered in England and Wales
2 – Hereford Cathedral Archives
NB: The Library does not hold archives of the Bishop, which are available with the
other diocesan records at Herefordshire County Record Office.
Modern Collections
The modern reading room houses the modern lending and reference library. It is
mainly theological, but also rich in local history, general and church history, biography,
decorative arts, architecture and music. Membership of the library is free and
members can borrow six books for up to two months from the Lending Library.
New Books are regularly added to stock. The Library has a small budget for the
purchase of new books and is fortunate to have supporters who regularly donate
material.
Catalogues
The catalogue of the medieval manuscript books is available in print as Catalogue of
the Manuscripts of Hereford Cathedral Library by R.A.B. Mynors and R.M. Thomson,
(Cambridge, 1993).
Printed works can be found on the on-line catalogue:
http://asp.bibits.no/hereford-cathedral/wssearch.asp
This catalogue contains most of the books printed after 1850. We are currently
cataloging all those works printed before this date, and the records are being updated
regularly.
There is a full list of the journals in the archive available in a separate sheet (HFD
Cathedral Periodicals list 2012).
The archive catalogue is not yet available on-line, but can be accessed in person in
the reading room.
Contact Us
For further information, please contact:
Hereford Cathedral Library & Archives
Hereford Cathedral
Hereford
HR1 2NG
Tel: 01432-374225/6
Fax: 01432-374220
E-Mail: library@herefordcathedral.org
Registered Charity No. 1144354
Company Limited by Guarantee No. 7586089
Registered in England and Wales