The Howley Harrison Library

The Howley Harrison Library suffered considerable bomb damage during the Nazi “Baedeker” raids of 1942. Fortunately, the priceless collection of 16,000 books dating from the fifteenth to the nineteenth centuries was in safe storage at the time. The Wolfson Foundation contributed handsomely to its rebuilding after the war.

Sixty years on, there was a growing problem with environmental control in the building— a stable atmosphere is vital for the preservation of the books and manuscripts. Survey showed the building was in poor condition and the rooms inside were simply responding to the weather conditions outside. Roof, floors, external walls and windows all required major work. The Wolfson Foundation, through English Heritage, and The Friends of Can-terbury Cathedral put up £230,000 each towards the costs of repairs, and the remainder of the £624,000 project was funded by donations to The Canterbury Gift. Some new brick-work was put in place, and the whole structure repointed. The floors were provided with vapour barriers and insulation. The floors themselves now contain environmental controls that can be operated by the librarians. The windows were re-leaded, put in new oak frames, and double glazed. The roof was reconstructed and new drainage and guttering installed to discharge water away from the building. The construction work is now com-pleted, the books and manuscripts are gradually being re-shelved, and an official re-opening will take place around Easter 2011.