Norwich Cathedral Library

13/03/2026

Today’s Lectio Divina was on John 14.15-21. Thanks for the opportunity to sit with such a powerful passage of Scripture, speaking as it does of God’s love and commitment. Our next Lectio session in the Library will be on Friday 10 April, beginning at 2.30pm:

Contemplative reading of scripture

07/01/2026

Did you see our exhibition last year ‘Her Book’? The exhibition curator has been continuing to identify in our collections more women involved with the early modern book trade. Read more in our latest blogpost:

Our historic library houses some 8,000 volumes on a range of subjects including theology, literature, local history and travel.

07/01/2026

13/10/2025

24/09/2025

It was a great pleasure to welcome back former Canon Librarian Clifford Offer to give a talk in the library “Remembering Aethelberht of East Anglia: king, saint and martyr”. Clifford addressed the “cold case” of the murder of Aethelberht, questioning whether King Offa has been wrongly accused. Whilst the historical evidence is limited, Clifford shone a light on the little-known figure for whom the Cathedral’s Ethelbert Gate is named.

10/07/2025

These titles are currently in transit from the book fair at Leeds International Medieval Congress to Norwich Cathedral Library.

22/10/2024

We were delighted last Thursday to welcome Dr Oliver Nicholson to speak about “The Christian Cicero” as part of our celebration of our oldest printed book, The Divine Institutes, by Lactantius. Jerome referred to the elegance of Lactantius’s Latin as “a torrent of Tertulliqn eloquence”, and we were tested to a similarly eloquent discourse from Dr Nicholson.

05/07/2024

Our 2024 Annual Library Lecture is presented by James Willoughby, a historian and bibliographer who follows research interests in medieval books and texts.

13/10/2023

At Listening Lunch today we responded to Prisons Week by reading from ”Sarah Martin, prison-visitor of Great Yarmouth”. An almost exact contemporary of Elizabeth Fry, Sarah Martin first entered Great Yarmouth gaol in 1819. This book, published in 1872, tells of her pioneering work in bringing religious observance, gainful occupation and basic education in literacy to the eclectic population in the gaol.