A Trigge Library Event on Saturday 29th June at St Wulfram’s Church , Grantham

10 am – 4pm Tickets from ghcentre@stwulframs.com

Gessner’s Historia Animalium
Talks from Ms Emma Milnes- librarian at the Zoological Society of London
Professor Andrew Pettegree, CBE FBA Prof of modern history at University of St. Andrews
Dr Jessica Parker Associate lecturer at University of St Andrews
Ms Bridget Warrington accredited library and Archives Conservator

Gessner’s Historia Animalium recently restored as part of the Trigge library collection – one of my favourite prints

Bookbinding and making book structures have always been a part of my creative practice. I love the opening and closing, revealing and concealing elements of making books and they are a wonderful way of presenting visual images as well as text.

So my recent opportunity to steward at the Trigge Library at St Wulfram’s is a joy – founded in 1598 by Revd. Francis Trigge.
His purpose in founding the library was ‘for the encreasinge of learning and knowledge in divinitie and other liberal sciences.”

It’s rather like the secret garden as you have to navigate a spiral staircase to reach the library above the South porch. This was accommodation for a priest before the reformation. It has a fireplace, a lavabo and squint that gives a good view of the interior of the church. When Francis Trigge was looking for a secure place to house the library it was an ideal place as it was no longer in use.

It’s not only the wonder of the printing techniques but also the wonderful woodblock prints, ancient bindings, hand made chains and the other – worldliness of the space.

Spiral staircase – 22 steps to the top!