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“A reading people should always be a knowing people”

Photograph of John May in his uniform as High Sheriff of Oxfordshire. He is stood in front of a wooden bookshelf in the new Gibbs Library.

On Monday, 6 October, the new Gibbs Library at Wesley Memorial Church, Oxford was officially opened by the High Sheriff of Oxfordshire, John May. At the event, Mr May expressed his joy to see the new space, particularly as an alumnus of Westminster College. He later noted that it was

“a real joy to see how the [Westminster College Oxford] Trust continues the College’s mission of learning, faith and service” and that the new Library “will be a place where curiosity and compassion meet – and where the great Methodist tradition of education continues to inspire future generations”.

This new Library fulfilled a seventy-year aspiration for the Westminster College Oxford Trust, which is funding this space, and first relocated to the outskirts of the city in 1959. The Gibbs Library houses the College’s archive, alongside a reference collection of Church publications, the papers of eminent church figures, such as Donald English and Colin Morris, and the collections of the Wesley Historical Society (WHS).  It is the fourth home of the WHS Library, which has previously been housed at Wesley’s Chapel, London; Southlands College (at Wimbledon); and Westminster College/Oxford Brookes University at the Harcourt Hill campus on the outskirts of the city. Representatives of each of these institutions attended the opening, along with College trustees, colleagues from other Higher Education Institutions, and representatives of Methodist Heritage.

During the event, Sir Ralph Waller (Chair of Trustees) commented on the excellence of aligning the modern Methodist activities of Wesley Memorial Church and research staff alongside those of our heritage collection, whilst Professor David Matthews (College Trustee and Project Lead) remarked on the importance of libraries to the preservation of a collective record. Dr Clive Norris (WHS Librarian) highlighted the role of the Society’s Library as the enduring legacy of the late Dr John Lenton who served as Society Librarian from 2002 until 2022.

Speeches concluded with a presentation from Dr Thomas Dobson (Assistant WHS Librarian) who highlighted the treasures of the collections, and their role in enabling individuals and groups of all walks of life to engage with their stories as part of a living faith  – something which is also currently displayed in the Wesley Memorial heritage exhibition.