Leighton Library facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Leighton Library |
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| Alternative names | Bibliotheca Leightoniana |
| General information | |
| Town or city | Dunblane |
| Country | Scotland |
| Coordinates | 56°11′20″N 3°57′54″W / 56.189°N 3.965°W |
| Completed | 1687 |
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Listed Building – Category A
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| Designated | 5 October 1971 |
| Reference no. | LB26371 |
The Leighton Library is a very old and special library in Dunblane, Scotland. It's known as the oldest building in Scotland made just to be a library! It was also one of the first libraries where people could pay a small fee to borrow books. The library holds about 4,000 books and 78 old handwritten documents from the 1500s to the 1800s.
These books came from the personal collection of a man named Robert Leighton. He was a very important person, serving as a Bishop and Archbishop. Robert Leighton owned 1,400 books, and he wanted them to be kept safely for everyone to use. So, the Leighton Library was built to house his amazing collection.
Contents
Building the Library
Robert Leighton, who was an Archbishop, passed away in London in 1684. In his will, he asked for his books to be given to Dunblane Cathedral. His nephew, Edward Lightmaker, helped make this wish come true.
Edward wrote to the Bishop of Dunblane in July 1684. He said the books were ready to be shipped by sea. He also mentioned that £100 had been set aside to build a special room for the books. Since Archbishop Leighton didn't have much money, Edward paid for the building himself. He even suggested using stones from old, ruined buildings nearby.
The library building was finished in 1687. A friend of Leighton's, Dr James Fall, came to see the new building. The Lightmaker family paid for the whole project. This included buying extra land for the building's foundations. They also gave £200 to pay the librarian's salary and help keep the library running.
What Books Are Inside?
The oldest book in Leighton's collection is called Herbert's Exquisitio, from 1504. Other interesting books include the works of Justin Martyr. There's also Walton's Biblia Polyglotta, which is a huge Bible in six volumes. The library also has the writings of St Augustine.
Over the years, many people have donated books to the library. Soon after it opened, James Turner of Dunblane gave a large collection. In the early 1700s, Thomas Hislop also made a big donation. These included several books from the 1600s. Other important donors were Dr David Laing and George Paton.
A Library for Everyone
On October 31, 1734, the people in charge of the Leighton Library decided to let the public use it. People could pay a fee to become members. The first two people to pay were Sir James Campbell and Sir Hugh Paterson. Each of them paid £3.
Even though not many people joined, the library had very special books. This meant that important people like nobles, professionals, and church leaders always supported it.
Growing and Changing
The number of people using the library grew in the 1800s. This happened because mineral wells were found nearby in 1813. Many visitors came to Dunblane for these wells. The library offered a special short-term membership for them. It cost 2 shillings and 6 pence for two weeks.
By 1831, a full membership to the library cost 10 shillings and 6 pence. However, another town, Bridge of Allan, became more popular for its water. The Leighton Library then found it hard to keep its readers. By 1843, the membership fee had dropped to 5 shillings.
The Library Building Today
The Leighton Library is a two-story building. You enter the main library room from a stone staircase. Below this room are two storage areas, which were once used by a plasterer and then a painter.
The library room gets light from three windows. Two are on the west side, and one is on the south. The inside of the library is lined with wood. There are sixteen bookcases along the walls. Lower shelves for books also stand in the middle of the room. The main staircase outside used to face a different direction. In the early 1800s, it was changed to face north to south.
From 1842 to 1870, the library was open for general reading for a short time. It then closed in the mid-1850s. By the early 1900s, the building was not well cared for and had problems with dampness. During World War II, an air-raid shelter was even built in its storage areas.
In the 1950s and 1980s, the library was repaired and its books were organized. It officially reopened in May 1990. The library's collection has grown from 1,400 books to about 4,500 books today. The building was given a special "listed status" on October 5, 1971. This means it's a very important historic building, known as a Category A listed building.
See also
In Spanish: Biblioteca Leighton para niños
