Visiting Libraries
The Cathedral Library
Opening Hours:
The Cathedral Library is available only by appointment with the Librarian or Canon Chancellor, and the Dean Savage Library is available only to members, who are issued with keys for an annual subscription (£7.50).
You can download our library catalogue below.
Cathedral Library Catalogue - Printed Books (pdf)
Lichfield Cathedral Library is situated in the upper storey of the Chapter House, built in 1249.
From 1490 to 1758 there was a separate detached Library building on the north side of the Close. During the Civil War, when the Cathedral was under siege three times, the Library was plundered and its contents were dispersed and destroyed by the Parliamentarians.
The present building was refitted by Dean Smallwood to house the 1000 books bequeathed to the Cathedral by Frances, Duchess of Somerset, in 1673. These books, the collection of her husband, William, the second Duke, form the basis of the present Library.
The Library has had many subsequent benefactors. Its manuscript and printed books catalogues are available to be consulted on line. Scholars wishing to visit the library may do so by appointment.
The Dean Savage Reference Library
The Dean Savage Library is housed in the Old Song School, a barn-like building on the north side of the Cathedral Close, between numbers 14 and 15. The library was set up by a Deed of Foundation in 1924 by the then Dean of Lichfield, the Very Reverend Henry Erwin Savage DD.
The Dean Savage Library is a collection of about 6000 theological books. It is a contemporary reference and lending library, catalogued according to the Dewey system.
The Dean Savage Library catalogue is available below.
The Library is open to all registered users. Registration costs £7.50 per year. To register, please contact the Education and Outreach Officer by phone on 01543 306240, or by This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
This website is sponsored by the Friends of Lichfield Cathedral.
