A good read – The Long Library at Holkham

To mark the National Year of Reading, Archivist Lucy Purvis turns her attention to Holkham’s vast and impressive Long Library.

Did you know that Holkham has one of the finest private libraries in the country? For Thomas Coke, who was known for his academic interests and love of reading, a library was a non-negotiable when designing Holkham Hall. He had inherited two library collections: Sir Edward Coke’s, whose legal library was immense, and, perhaps more notably to Thomas, his mother’s library. This was full of classical volumes which shaped his love of antiquity. He also had his own collection of books and manuscripts which had grown considerably during his Grand Tour. In a letter to his guardians when abroad, he declared, ‘One of the greatest ornaments to a gentleman or to his family is a fine library’.

The Family Wing was the first part of Holkham to be built, and the Long Library is the largest room in the pavilion, measuring 16.5m by 5.5m. Located close to the private rooms of the Earl and Countess of Leicester, Thomas shows his commitment to his books.

Decoratively, the Long Library is one of the most important rooms in the Hall. The designer was Coke’s friend, William Kent. His elegant choices for the fireplace, over-mantel and friezes elevate the room, while the ceiling, which was toned down from the initial design, combine to make it an intimate space. The original furniture was functional – black leather chairs, tables and reading desks, with some essential library extras including magnifying glasses and ladders to reach the top shelves. Completed in 1742, it was used as a reception room before the State Rooms were completed.

Today, the best of the printed books line the shelves. Many were bound in London by Thomas Brindley in the 1720s using gilttooled red Morocco leather, which was fashionable. The books match the grand surroundings with their flashes of gold. From 1742, Jean Robiquet, a Huguenot binder, was employed. The majority of his bindings are in plain calf with gilt spines which include the Coke crest on the spine. Eagle-eyed visitors can spot Thomas’ rise through the nobility. Early works have the ostrich with the fourpointed coronet of a Baron, while those bound later show the Ostrich below the five-pointed coronet of an Earl.

The household accounts record that Robiquet had two lengthy stays at Holkham – in 1742 for 19 weeks with his wife and a man, and then in 1748 he spent ‘44 weeks and five days Binding Books’ alone. He continued working regularly on the collection for the next 11 years. After Thomas’ death in 1759, the possessions from his London residence, Thanet House, were transported to Holkham and the books were incorporated into this library, with volumes moved to libraries in the attics. The Long Library contains about a fifth of the books at Holkham and remains largely unchanged. It covers a variety of subjects including architecture, natural history, exploration, science, history, as well as literature including Shakespeare and Jonson. Thomas also acquired the ‘Cosmographia’, which had 112 large volumes of maps and engravings from across the world. Too big for the library, it was shelved in the South Tribune.

Subsequent generations have added to the library and the rooms leading to the Long Library were converted to become the Classical and Manuscript Libraries by Thomas William Coke, with more shelving added in the attics and to the room under the portico. The Long Library may now have a more comfortable sitting room feel, but Thomas’ descendants have certainly enjoyed his ‘greatest ornament’.