Leighton Library

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Leighton Library
inside view

The Leighton Library is the oldest private library in Scotland . It is located in the center of the small town of Dunblane in the Stirling Council Area . In 1971 the structure was included in the Scottish monument lists in the highest monument category A.

history

Robert Leighton (1611–1684), Bishop of Dunblane and later Archbishop of Glasgow , left with his death in 1684 a sum to set up a library in Dunblane. It should be open to the administration of the Diocese of Dunblane . James Robinson of Park of Keir , treasurer of the Lord Strathallan , directed the action. The total cost of the construction, carried out between 1684 and 1687, using stone material from the ruined Bishop's Palace at Dunblane, was around £ 162. Lord Strathallan also coordinated, in collaboration with Leighton's daughter Sapphira Lightmaker and her son Edward, the transport of Leighton's book inventory from his retirement home in Sussex, England, to Dunblane.

Robert Douglas , son of the last Bishop of Dunblane of the same name , was appointed first librarian. Like his successors, he had an apartment in the basement of the library. The premises were modernized in the first half of the 19th century. After closing in the 1850s, the Leighton Library was restored and reopened in 1989 by Honeyman, Jack & Robertson .

Initially comprising 1,400 books, the book inventory grew over the centuries to around 4,500 individual editions. The library, which is now open to the public, contains books in 89 languages.

description

The Leighton Library is located in the historic center of Dunblane, not far from Dunblane Cathedral . The vaults of the former librarian's apartment are located on the lower ground floor of the one-story, elongated building . The facades are plastered with Harl , with sandstone details set off. The oak portal is accessible via a front staircase. Round windows and an elongated arched window are embedded in the masonry . The final gable roof is covered with gray slate.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d Listed Building - Entry . In: Historic Scotland .
  2. ↑ a b Information from the Leighton Library

Web links

Coordinates: 56 ° 11 ′ 19.1 ″  N , 3 ° 57 ′ 51.9 ″  W.