Housed in one of the School's most attractive and spacious
rooms, the Senior Library is open throughout the day to all boys in
Years 10 and 11 and the Sixth Form. It contains a large stock of
fiction and non-fiction books which are intended not only to
support the students' work for GCSE and A Level but also to provide
up-to-date information about a wide variety of topics that are not
covered in the curriculum. There is also a good collection of film
on DVD and video tape. Students may borrow all these items; the
terms of such loans are generous. For reference we provide a number
of national newspapers each day. We also provide an extensive
collection of periodicals which students are encouraged to consult
regularly to develop their academic interests and knowledge of
current affairs.
The Senior library is a fine place in which to read and reflect,
research a project in depth or do one's writing. The new
acquisitions are recorded in the Senior Library Bulletin which also
contains review articles written by members of the staff and the
senior boys. It can give a very favourable impression of the range
of intellectual interests in the school. In addition to the
Bulletin, the library regularly produces displays and exhibitions
to draw attention to important historical, literary and social
topics. Whenever possible, these draw upon the library's own
holdings. Recent exhibitions have included:
John Foxe and Prophetic History
Captain Rostron and the Titanic
The Funeral Procession of Queen Victoria
The Heraldry of Schools
The History of Libraries
Famous English Country Houses.
The last two were staged by pupils who were awarded Library
Exhibition prizes for their research.
The Department of the Library also maintains the Local and
Special Collections and the Chained Library; it also has custody of
the School's earliest archival records that were formerly kept in
the School Chest. The Local Collection contains an interesting body
of material relating to the geography and history of Bolton and the
Greater Manchester conurbation: this material is housed separately
because it is so frequently used for the students' research
projects. The Special Collections contain rare or unusual books
which the Library uses for its displays and exhibitions. These
range from collections of commemorative magazines and newspapers to
copies of the celebrated Yellow Book, an early edition of Samuel
Johnson's Dictionary and the Latin dictionary of Robert Ainsworth
(1746), the School's most significant scholar of his generation.
Some of this material is displayed on the School's own Intranet. We
also have a small collection of interesting items relating to the
RMS Titanic: Sir Arthur Rostron, Captain of the Carpathia which
came to the aid of Titanic's stricken passengers, was a pupil at
the school.
The Headmaster's Chair and the School Chest
These two objects (along with the Chained Library which stands
opposite) are the most tangible and visible link with the early
history of Bolton School. The Headmaster's chair may well be the
one to which reference is made in a record made in 1685: "paid to
John Sendall for a chair for the headmaster to sit in for the
better hearing of his scholars 4s. 6d". It is made of oak and is
well constructed. It appears in photographs of the school rooms of
the old Grammar School (which stood adjacent to the Parish church).
In these pictures an academic gown is sometimes draped across it to
conceal the loss of the original right arm!
The School Chest was until quite recently the repository of the
School's early records. It is made of wrought iron, lined with wood
and was probably intended to hold money. Such chests were once
known as "Armada chests": it was thought that the Spanish had
brought their gold bullion in them when they attempted to invade
England. In fact this chest was probably made in Nuremberg,
imported for use as a safe. The documents it used to contain are
preserved in the library. They are many and varied, ranging from
grants of land beautifully written on parchment to a small scrap of
paper recording the amount of wine consumed at a school meeting in
May, 1759. Of particular interest is an early inventory of books in
the library made in March 1727. Of chief importance is the original
letter of James Lever of London, dated December 10, 1681, setting
out the "Orders" or statutes for the governance of the school. This
includes the thoughtful provision of "20s. Yearly allowed to some
poor scholar for brushing the dust off the books, sweeping and
keeping all things clean". Interestingly, the use of candles in the
school was expressly forbidden.