Austin Friary, Medieval friary in Cambridge, England
Austin Friary was a Franciscan religious community that occupied a large plot of land in central Cambridge. Its grounds stretched from Peas Hill to Downing Street and from Corn Exchange Street to Free School Lane.
This religious community was established around 1289 and served Cambridge for centuries. It closed in 1538 when religious institutions across England underwent widespread dissolution.
The friary maintained a library containing works by William Ockham and John Capgrave, with one surviving volume now housed at Trinity College, Dublin.
The entrance once stood where number 16 Bene't Street is located today. The former grounds are now part of the New Museums Site and open to visitors.
The friary library held works by important scholars, and at least one surviving manuscript made it through the centuries. This book is now preserved in Dublin and shows how seriously learning was taken here.
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