Seeley Historical Library

The history library was established in 1807 with a collection of a thousand books donated by the will of John Symonds, professor of modern history.{{cite book|title=Endowments of the University of Cambridge|year=1904|url=https://archive.org/details/endowmentsofuniv00claruoft|publisher=Cambridge University Press Archive|page=[https://archive.org/details/endowmentsofuniv00claruoft/page/184 184]}} After some years of neglect, the library again became a priority in 1884, on the behest of Oscar Browning. It was moved from the gallery of the Philosophical Library to King's College in 1890.

In 1895 a memorial fund was raised to commemorate historian Sir John Seeley’s services to the British Empire and to the University; the greater part of this fund was devoted to the endowment of the library, which was named in his honour in 1897.

In 1912 the collection relocated to the top floor of the Arts School, Bene't Street, then in 1935 to the Old Schools. In 1968 the Seeley moved to the Sidgwick site as part of the new History Faculty building designed by James Stirling.

Today the library accommodates over 300 students and houses more than 95,000 volumes.{{cite web|url=http://www.hist.cam.ac.uk/seeley-library/history|title=History of the Library|publisher=Seeley Historical Library|accessdate=2 April 2010

|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120621205232/http://www.hist.cam.ac.uk/seeley-library/history

|archivedate=2012-06-21}} The skylight over the reading room is a crucial part of the design, although it is difficult to see from outside the building and contributes nothing to its silhouette.{{cite journal

|last1=Banham

|first1=Reyner

|title=The History Faculty, Cambridge

|journal=The Architectural Review

|date=November 1968

|archivedate=2015-05-03

|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150503042554/http://www.architectural-review.com/1968-november-the-history-faculty-cambridge-by-reyner-banham/8604125.article%23

|url=http://www.architectural-review.com/1968-november-the-history-faculty-cambridge-by-reyner-banham/8604125.article

|url-status=dead

}}

Although the building was admired by students of architecture it is less well regarded by those who have to work in it. A 1968 review noted that environmental controls might be difficult to operate by humanities-oriented occupants. Expensive modifications were necessary to render it usable, and in 1984 the university came close to pulling the whole building down.Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, entry on Sir Geoffrey Elton The remodelling of Stirling's attempt to create an environmentally sustainable structure was announced in 2004. The project was headed by John McAslan, who said that "The main problem with the building is that it leaks, it’s too bright, too hot in summer and too cold in winter.”{{cite web |title=McAslan to remodel Stirling library |date=23 April 2004 |publisher=Building Design |url=http://www.bdonline.co.uk/mcaslan-to-remodel-stirling-library/3034796.article |accessdate=24 March 2014}}{{registration required}}

Drainage problems and leaks have persisted in the Seeley Library, and a further attempt to remedy the issue was made in the Summer of 2015, when an entirely new surface was given to the flat concrete roof over the book stacks.

The building is to undergo extensive refurbishment and extension in 2025, with the library being temporarily moved to the University Library to enable works.{{Cite web |last=Fakharany |first=Nour |date=10 July 2024 |title=University of Cambridge Unveils Restoration Plans for Historic Stirling Building in the United Kingdom |url=https://www.archdaily.com/1018675/university-of-cambridge-unveils-restoration-plans-for-historic-stirling-building-in-the-united-kingdom |access-date=8 April 2025 |website=ArchDaily}}

File:Rename Seeley Library sticker opposite Bateman Street in Cambridge.jpg

In November 2021, a petition calling on the University of Cambridge to change the name of the library to the History Faculty Library attracted more than 600 signatures. 28 university societies and organisations have backed the petition, including the Student Union, which is calling on the university's history department to rename the Seeley Historical Library because its current name celebrates John Robert Seeley, a Cambridge historian “known for his justification of the British Empire".{{cite web |title=Petition calling for Cambridge library to change name over colonialism links |url=https://www.cambridge-news.co.uk/news/cambridge-news/seeley-library-name-petition-colonialism-22102940 |website=Cambridge News |date=9 November 2021 |access-date=12 November 2021}} {{cite web |title=Petition to rename Seeley Library |url=https://docs.google.com/document/d/10Ho9g8zbrM-agGbCX-8WvFzyYFhNhmkhnG0kmM3yS8I/mobilebasic |website=Google docs |access-date=3 April 2023}} At Christ’s College where Seeley studied and was a tutor, the former "Seeley History Society" has been renamed "Christ’s College History Society".{{cite news |last1=Kenney |first1=Esmé |title=Student open letter calls for Seeley Library to be renamed amidst colonial links |url=https://www.varsity.co.uk/news/22422 |access-date=25 November 2021 |work=Varsity Online |issue=7 November 21 |publisher=Varsity Publications Ltd. |date=2021 |language=en}}

Image:History Faculty University of Cambridge.jpg|Seeley Library from the southeast

Image:Seeley Historical Library, Cambridge university.jpg|Seeley Library from the northeast

Image:Seeley Historical Library, Cambridge university 003.jpg|Seeley Library from the north

{{reflist}}

• [https://www.hist.cam.ac.uk/seeley-library Seeley Library website]
• [https://www.hist.cam.ac.uk/library-catalogue Library catalogue]

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Category:Libraries of the University of Cambridge

Category:Institutions in the School of the Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Cambridge

Category:History resources

Category:Grade II listed buildings in Cambridgeshire