Tower Of The Five Orders Bodleian Library Oxford

Title

Tower Of The Five Orders Bodleian Library Oxford

Artist

Terri Waters

Medium

Photograph - Photograph

Description

Tower of the Five Orders of the Bodleian Library .
The stone mason's work over the main entrance from Catte Street. This side of the tower is on the inner courtyard side and is only a small section of the elaborate stone work.
Whilst the Bodleian Library, in its current incarnation, has a continuous history dating back to 1602, its roots date back even further. The first purpose-built library known to have existed in Oxford was founded in the fourteenth century by Thomas Cobham, Bishop of Worcester. This small collection of chained books was situated above the north side of the University Church of St Mary the Virgin on the High Street. This collection continued to grow steadily, but when, between 1435 and 1437 Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester (brother of Henry V of England), donated a great collection of manuscripts, the space was deemed insufficient and a larger building was required. A suitable room was finally built above the Divinity School, and completed in 1488. This room
continues to be known as Duke Humfrey's Library.
The late sixteenth century saw the library go through a period of decline and only three of the original books belonging to Duke Humfrey remained in the collection. It was not until 1598 that the library began to thrive once more, when Thomas Bodley, a former fellow of Merton College, wrote to the Vice Chancellor of the University offering to support the development of the library. Duke Humfrey's Library was refitted, and Bodley donated a number of his own books to furnish it. The library was formally re-opened on 8 November 1602 under the name Bodleian Library (officially Bodley's Library).
By the time of Bodley's death in 1612, further expansion to the library was being planned. The Schools Quadrangle, sometimes referred to as the "Old Schools Quadrangle", or the "Old Library", was built between 1613 and 1619 by adding three wings to the Proscholium and Arts End. Its tower forms the main entrance to the library, and is known as the Tower of the Five Orders. The Tower is so named because it is ornamented, in ascending order, with the columns of each of the five orders of classical architecture: Tuscan, Doric, Ionic, Corinthian and Composite.
The three wings of the quadrangle have three floors: rooms on the ground and upper floors of the quadrangle
(excluding Duke Humfrey's library, above the Divinity School) were originally used as lecture space and an art gallery. The lecture rooms are still indicated by the inscriptions over the doors. As the library's collections expanded, these rooms were gradually taken over, the University lectures and examinations were moved into the a newly created University Schools building. The art collection was transferred to the Ashmolean. One of the schools is now used to host exhibitions of the library's treasures, whilst the others are used as offices and meeting rooms for the library administrators.

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February 6th, 2013

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