The Cranston Library was founded in 1701 in a small vestry above
the church and is the first public lending library in the
country. There are over two thousand books in the library,
mainly dating from the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries.
There are also a number of earlier printed volumes and a few
manuscriptsIf you are interested, please pass your name to
Michael Beach on 01737 249914 and watch out for a coffee morning
in the New Year to provide more information.
Heritage Volunteers
For a number of years the Society has been heavily involved with the
Reigate Priory Museum, arranging exhibitions, managing exhibits and
providing stewards , all ably led by Jean Power, under the guidance
of the Museum Curator, Eileen Wood. Sadly the Museum is closed at
the moment due to roof damage and we are not sure when it will
reopen. In the meantime, we are planning an additional heritage
project in support of the Cranston Library at St Mary’s Church in
Reigate. Some years ago, a team of Nadfas volunteers undertook
conservation work in the library - cleaning, minor repairs and
creating a condition record for each book. It is now time to dust
the books again and update the condition records, and we are looking
for two small teams of volunteers who will work in the libr
ary for a session of 2 to 3 hours each once a fortnight. Training
for the teams will be provided by experts from Nadfas House, and one
of the leaders of the previous project has offered to be mentor for
the new project.