A National Heritage Treasure

The Parker Library is the College’s greatest national heritage treasure. It is internationally renowned for its important collection of medieval and renaissance manuscripts (including a substantial proportion of all extant Anglo-Saxon manuscripts), as well as valuable holdings of early printed books. It is one of the most significant surviving renaissance libraries in Europe. The collection, largely established by Matthew Parker (1504 -75) (Archbishop of ​Canterbury and Master of the College) in the late sixteenth century, includes such magnificent books as the sixth-century Gospels of Augustine, the earliest copy of the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, the Bury Bible and the autograph copy of Matthew Paris’ Chronica majora. The College makes these treasures available through a regular programme of loans to exhibitions in museums and libraries around the world; learn more about these in our Parker on Loan section.

View online

All significant premodern manuscripts in our collection have been fully digitised and can be viewed online on Parker on the Web.

Those with an interest in rare books and manuscripts can now follow the Parker Library Blog in addition to our regular posts on Twitter (@ParkerLibCCCC), BlueSky (@parkerlibcccc.bsky.social) and Instagram (@parkerlibrary).

View in person

There are regular exhibitions in the Library. General tours may be booked through Eventbrite. Members of the College can visit at other times and bring guests, as long as they arrange this in advance.

Contact us

To book a visit or find out more, please contact

Parker Library
Corpus Christi College
Cambridge
CB2 1RH
Tel: 01223 338025

Email: parker-library@corpus.cam.ac.uk

Opening times: Mondays to Fridays from 9:45-12:45 and 14:00-16:45. All visits must be pre-arranged. 

Donnelley Fellow Librarian

Professor Philippa Hoskin

Parker Sub-Librarian

Tuija Ainonen