All Souls College Library

All Souls College Library stands in the heart of Oxford, a quiet academic city in Oxfordshire. It serves as the private library for All Souls College, one of Oxford University’s graduate colleges. The building itself was designed by Nicholas Hawksmoor and took thirty-five years to complete, opening in 1751. Christopher Codrington, a fellow of the college, funded its creation through wealth gained from sugar plantations worked by enslaved people. The library has been in continuous scholarly use ever since and holds Grade I listed status. The collection includes about 185,000 items, with roughly a third printed before 1800. Strengths lie in law, European and ecclesiastical history, military history, and classics. There is also a growing focus on sociology and the history of science. Unlike most college libraries, it allows any Oxford University member to use its resources after registering. Scholars travel from across the world to study its manuscripts and early printed books. Inside, a statue of Christopher Codrington remains in the reading room despite the library’s name change in 2020. The college removed the old unofficial title after recognising the problematic origins of Codrington’s wealth. The space still functions as a working library, filled with scholars and quiet study. Its shelves hold rare volumes and historic documents that draw researchers year after year. The building itself, with its grand architecture, adds to the sense of scholarly purpose.