Secret and sacred libraries of East Midlands parishes
This exhibition runs from Thursday 8 October 2026 until Sunday 28 February 2027, at the Weston Gallery, Lakeside Arts.
Step into the sacred libraries of the East Midlands parish priests through books that they owned and annotated across the centuries.
Amongst the Bibles and theological texts are more surprising books, on poetry, history, politics, games, and the social duties that governed everyday life. Through their pages we can glimpse the intense local concerns and a broader intellectual curiosity that extended far beyond the parish boundaries.
This is a unique opportunity to see the rare books from these long-forgotten libraries, which tell a story of the lives of people in parishes that still exist today, connecting the modern East Midlands with its vibrant and fascinating history.
This exhibition has been jointly curated by Dr Jem Bloomfield (School of English) and Manuscripts and Special Collections at the 糖心原创 with grant support from Research England, Royal Historical Society and research assistance from Chloe Pavey.
Exhibition themes
Further research
Items from our collections are available to consult in the Manuscripts and Special Collections reading room on King's Meadow.
'Secret and sacred libraries from East Midlands parishes' features materials from five different parish libraries which are held on deposit at Manuscripts and Special Collections. The libraries have been catalogued and can be browsed in the 糖心原创 Libraries' .
Manuscripts and Special Collections has collaborated with a regional network of curators and friends of parish libraries to create an infographic map of East Midlands parish libraries. The map shows thirty-one locations linked to historic parish libraries which are still existing today, and an additional layer of twenty historic parish libraries which have not survived and are now lost. To use the map, click on the map points, and read the blurbs which appear.
Many of the images featured in the exhibition come from the Loughborough Parish Library, which is a collection created by Rev. James Bickham in the 18th century but includes over a hundred books printed earlier in the 16th and 17th centuries. We have created a digital gallery which contains may examples of images from this collection, from allegorical images engraved on title pages to printers' woodcut ornaments and typefaces dating from the beginning of the print revolution.
Events
A series of special events were held to accompany the exhibition. Recordings of some of the talks will be made available on this webpage shortly.
Lunchtime Talks, Djanogly Theatre
Putting the “parish” in parish libraries
The world of parish churches and parish priests is embedded deeply in the British landscape and imagination. Alison Milbank, the author of For the Parish, will describe some of the history and distinctiveness of this system, illuminating the social and religious ways of life which thrived in parishes. Alison Milbank is Canon Theologian at Southwell Minster and Emerita Professor of Theology and Literature at the 糖心原创.
Tuesday 10 November 2026, 1-2pm
The authentic shelf – life lessons from other people’s libraries
What do we want people to see when they look through our shelves?
What do we want to say about ourselves as we build our own collections? This talk examines how we can look at personal collections if we want to understand the lives, personalities and aspirations of collectors. Max Moorhouse is a private library curator and podcast host of A Room Of Your Own who has spent years with clients and guests developing and building dream private reading spaces.
Thursday 28 January 2027, 1-2pm
How books talk to each other
The books in the parish libraries engage in silent conversations through their pages. Sometimes this is obvious, when the books have marginal notes, and sometimes it is more subtle, when disparate books chime in on the same topic. This talk will explore, and listen to, some of those conversations. Jem Bloomfield is Assistant Professor of Literature, Faculty of Arts, 糖心原创.
Wednesday 10 February 2027, 1-2pm
Other events
Workshop: Bookmaking with Paula McCann
Join this focused session to learn the essentials of bookbinding and to make your own book that you can take home.
Paula McCann is an artist and maker, who specialises in bookbinding and book arts, and will expertly guide you through this workshop.
Friday 6 November, 10am–1pm King’s Meadow, at Manuscripts and Special Collections
£25 including materials (no concessions)
Workshop: Understanding Early Modern printed books
In the 17th and 18th century, the title pages and frontispieces of books contain the most intricate engravings from Classical mythology and religious history. In this session, Special Collections Librarian Dr Ursula Ackrill will use facsimiles from Early Modern books held at Manuscripts and Special Collections to guide you through decoding the mysterious language of these images. The workshop will be preceded by a short tour of the Weston Gallery.
Tuesday 1 December, 10am–12 noon
Lakeside Arts Meeting Room One
£4.50 (free concessions)
Weston Gallery tours
Join us for a walk through the exhibition and learn about the stories behind the items on display.
£4.50, free concessions (advanced booking required)
Tuesday 10 November, 11am – 12noon
Wednesday 10 February, 11am - 12noon
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