The Cranston Library, Reigate: The First Three Hundred Years

The Cranston Library, Reigate, is a remarkable example of an early eighteenth-century parish library, which retains almost all of its original collection in its original location. It was founded by Revd Andrew Cranston in 1701 and was established as a charitable trust in 1708. It was the only library specifically exempted from the provisions of the 1708/09 Parochial Libraries Act. From the start it operated as a public lending library and, until the establishment of the Surrey County Library Service in the 1920s, it provided intellectual stimulus for all the people of Reigate, not just the clergy. The collection is not entirely theological, but contains some 2350 volumes on a wide range of subjects. The Library’s records of donors, borrowers, and trustees, and the books themselves, provide a fascinating insight into the intellectual climate of the period.

In the twenty-first century we endeavour to maintain the Library in good condition as a jewel of the local heritage, and as an academic resource for scholars. All our trustees and helpers are volunteers and we have no financial endowment behind us. We are therefore reliant on the generosity of our supporters and the good offices of the Reigate Decorative and Fine Arts Society and the Cowlishaw conservation workshop to achieve our aims.  The opportunities and pitfalls of the digital age present the current trustees
with many new challenges as we try to balance the demands of access with security, and preservation with utilization. We take inspiration from our founder and seek to ensure that the Library should flourish for at least another three hundred years.