Library

Books in St Davids Cathedral Library

St David's Cathedral Library is the only Cathedral Library in situ in Wales. The present Collection dates back to the 16th Century and the Reformation. We have copies of some of the early Bibles in Welsh and early Bibles in English.

Find out more about what we do and the services we offer using the links below. 

Join us for an introductory tour of the Library and the Collection by the Dean of St Davids, The Very Rev'd Dr Sarah Rowland Jones.

Find out more about St Davids Cathedral library

 


LIBRARY VISITING 

CATHEDRAL LIBRARY VISITS

LIBRARY OPENING TIMES:

The Cathedral Library is usually open to the public on Monday and Friday afternoons between 2pm and 4pm.

Check on this webpage, or on Notice in Cathedral South Porch, for any changes to this.   

To make an arrangement to study in the Library at other times, email to Library@StDavidsCathedral.org.uk

 

Tours of Rarely Seen parts of St Davids Cathedral

These popular Tours of the Cathedral are organised and conducted by the Cathedral Library team.

Tickets are available on EventBrite, or in the Cathedral nave shop, for the following dates: 

Wednesday 3rd April 2024. 2pm - 3.30pm.

Tuesday 2nd July 2024. 2pm - 3.30pm

Tour of Rarely Seen parts of St Davids Cathedral Tickets, Multiple Dates | Eventbrite

More dates will be announced during the year. 

 

DATES FOR 2024

(Further details will appear here or from library@stdavidscathedral.org.uk

  • Saturday 23rd March 2pm - Thrice to Rome. A dramatisation of the 3 appearances of Gerald of Wales in the Papal Court in Rome between 1200 and 1203. Thrice to Rome Tickets, Sat 23 Mar 2024 at 14:00 | Eventbrite
  • Wednesday 12th June - Series of Talks, visits and events jointly with Bishops Palace,  St Davids Bishop's Palace | Cadw (gov.wales)  and including Porth-y-Twr, to mark Consecration of Bishop Gower in 1328. 
  • Saturday 6th July - 2.30pm-3.30pm -   "Suffragettes in the splendid Cathedral". Talk in the Cathedral Library on visit by Emmeline Pankhurst, Annie Kenney and others on 6th July 1906, and display of the Visitors Book they signed.
  • Saturday 21st September and Sunday 22nd September - Cadw Drysau Agored / Open Doors. Free Tours and visits of Cathedral, Library, Organ loft, Community Garden, Bishops Palace. St Davids Bishop's Palace | Cadw (gov.wales)
  • Sunday 29th SeptemberCadw Drysau Agored / Open Doors - Michaelmas
  • 7th - 12th October - Libraries Week.  

 

 

 

PREVIOUS LIBRARY EVENTS

AUTUMN  2023

DRYSAU AGORED / OPEN DOORS days 2023

Saturday 23rd September,

Sunday 24th September,

Friday 29th September.

We are delighted to be taking part again in the annual CADW Drysau Agored / Open Doors initiative. In this we join with 50 countries across Europe under the umbrella of the Council of Europe Cultural Programme. In every country we open nationally important heritage venues to the local citizens and public for free.   

During our three Drysau Agored/Open Doors days in September, the Cathedral and the Bishops Palace work together to provide linked public access to these two unique ecclesiastical medieval buildings on a single site.  There are no entry charges or Tour charges during the Drysau Agored/Open Doors days. 

There is no need to book in advance. There are a series of guided visits planned at set times to places the public would not usually have access to, such as the 14th century Porth-y-Twr and the Cathedral organ loft. Some places will be open for general public access that are not usually available, such as the historic Cathedral Library and the Erw Dewi Community Garden in the Cathedral Close.  

There are also Choral Evensong services in the Cathedral on each of the 3 days and to which everyone is very welcome.  

This schedule below gives you some of the key times so that you can plan your visits spread over the 3 days.

 

Saturday 23rd September

9.30am - Bishops Palace opens for public visiting 

10am–12noon - Erw Dewi Community Garden open for visiting and volunteering.

10am-11am - Drysau Agored/Open Doors Tour of the Cathedral, meet in south nave aisle

11am-1.30pm - Cathedral Library open

11.30am-12.15pm – Visits to Organ Loft, meet in south transept

2pm - Drysau Agored/Open Doors guided visit to Porth y Tŵr

2.30pm-3pm - Visits to Organ Loft, meet in south transept

3pm - Guided Tour of Bishops Palace

3.30pm - Choral Evensong in Cathedral nave. All welcome.

5pm - Bishops Palace closes to public visiting

 

Sunday 24th September

9.30am - Bishops Palace opens for public visiting 

9.30am - Cymun y Plwyf, Capel Mair (Communion service in Welsh)

11am - Choral Eucharist in Cathedral nave, with full Cathedral Choir.

12.30pm-3.45pm - Cathedral Library open

1pm-2pm - Guided Tour of Cathedral, meet in south nave aisle

3pm – Guided Tour of Bishops Palace

4pm - Choral Evensong sung by full Cathedral Choir in Cathedral nave. All welcome.

5pm - Bishops Palace closes to public visiting

 

Friday 29th September - Michaelmas

9.30am - Bishops Palace opens for public visiting 

10am-12 noon - Erw Dewi Community Garden open for visiting and volunteering.

10.30am - Pilgrimage walk to Cathedral, meet at Oriel y Parc.

11.30am - Pilgrimage walk to Cathedral, join at St Non's Chapel.

12 noon - Pilgrim Prayers at restored medieval shrine of St David, Cathedral. 

2.30pm-3.30pm - Tour of Cathedral, considering the visit of disgraced King Henry II on 29th September 1171 after the murder of St Thomas Becket. 

2pm-4pm - Cathedral Library open to public

3pm - Guided Tour of Bishops Palace

5pm - Bishops Palace closes to public visiting

6pm - Solemn Evensong and Procession – Sung by the Vicars Choral and Scholars. In Quire with procession to Thomas Becket Chapel.

 

UK LIBRARIES WEEK

TUESDAY 3RD OCTOBER

11am Walk-and-Talk Tour of Cathedral Treasures included in new book, TIME TO TELL. 

2pm Launch of book TIME TO TELL. 100 Treasures of St Davids Diocese by Caroline Jones. 

Tickets £7.50, covering all events, on EventBrite or in nave shop.  

TIME TO TELL | Eventbrite

 

WEDNESDAY 4TH OCTOBER

Visits to historic Cathedral Library. 

 

THURSDAY 5TH OCTOBER

ANNUAL ARCHAEOLOGY DAY. 2pm to 4.30pm.

An examination of recent projects in the Cathedral as well as some in the pipeline. Cathedral Archaeologist, Ross Cook, and Cathedral Architect, Jane Chamberlain of Caroe and Partners, look at How old are the pinnacles? Where was the early Church of Minervia? Prof Madeleine Gray examines questions raised by some of Cathedral's medieval tombs.

Tickets £8.50 on EventBrite or in nave shop 

 Eventbrite - Edit ST DAVIDS CATHEDRAL ARCHAEOLOGY DAY

FRIDAY 6TH OCTOBER

7pm  THRICE TO ROME. A dramatisation of Gerald of Wales' 3 appeals in the Papal Court in Rome in 1201 to 1203 for his role as Bishop of St Davids and the status of St Davids as a full metropolitan Archbishopic independent of Canterbury. Written by canon lawyer Norman Doe using Gerald's own words. 

Tickets £10 on EventBrite or in nave shop. 

Thrice to Rome. A dramatisation in the words of Gerald of Wales. Tickets, Fri 6 Oct 2023 at 19:00 | Eventbrite

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SUPPORT 

We are very grateful to everyone who feels able to support St Davids Cathedral Library with a donation. 

Please click on this link to go to our Donation page. - Please donate here 

The Donations page will direct you to a Gift Aid Declaration, if you are a UK Taxpayer and would like us to claim this back from the UK Government. 

We use our income to conserve the books and to maintain a safe environment in the medieval Iibrary room. Public access to the unique Library Collection is provided, including with two display cases in the Cathedral Treasury where books from the Library Collection are on public display whenever the Cathedral is open.  

Many thanks for your support / Diolch i chi gyd.

Library blog