Cotton library, Manuscript collection at British Library, City of Westminster, United Kingdom.
The Cotton Library contains 958 manuscripts arranged in cases marked by busts of Roman emperors and stored in a 26-foot-long room.
Sir Robert Bruce Cotton established this manuscript collection in 1588, which later became a foundation for the British Museum and British Library.
The collection contains precious medieval texts including the only surviving manuscript of Beowulf and the Lindisfarne Gospels from the British Isles.
Researchers access the manuscripts through a reference system based on bust names, shelf letters, and sequential numbers, such as Nero B.iv.
A fire in 1731 at Ashburnham House destroyed 114 manuscripts and damaged 98 others, leading to early conservation efforts.
Location: City of Westminster
Website: https://bl.uk/collection-guides/cotton-manuscripts
GPS coordinates: 51.52944,-0.12694
Latest update: May 27, 2025 12:51
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