BKS Visit to Oxford, 7 February 2025
Written by: Douglas Barrett | Posted on: March 24th, 2025
Pitt Rivers Museum
Our first visit outside of London was to the Pitt Rivers Museum and the Bodleian Library – and what a treat it turned out to be as we were treated to a viewing of some wonderful Korean books and artefacts.
The Pitt Rivers Museum is set at the back of the Oxford Museum of Natural History which is an incredible museum in its own right. The lobby consists of dinosaur artefacts and models which has been sourced from around the world. An incredible entrance – and at the back is the Pitt River Museum.
The Museum has over 500 Korean artefacts, but because of space constraints only 50 or so are on display at any one time. The curators from the museum had assembled around 60 or so pieces which are not usually on display for us to see. These included books, fans, dolls, hats and other pictures. My favourite piece was a suit of armour from the 19th century made of silk, cotton and leather – it was extraordinary. I also enjoyed reading the books that had been put on display for us. The museum uses a card index system to keep track of the artefacts – all of which can be requested for research.
The Bodleian Library isn’t just one library – it is actually spread over 29 sites, many of which are reference libraries for students in the various colleges in Oxford. There is also an Amazon style warehouse near Swindon which is used for extra storage. A van shuttles books and other artefacts to and from Oxford twice a day.
We were given access to the special collection of books and maps from Korea, some of which came from the collection of Bishop Trollope. Some of the books came from the mid-16th century. My favourite pieces were a wonderful map of the world, maps of Korea and an old picture style book which must be one of the world’s first picture book’s.
We also visited the Duke Humfrey’s Library which was built towards the end of the 15th century. The original library was only open during day light hours to prevent fires from candles. The books were also kept on chains to prevent them from being taken out of the library which was built as a reference facility.
Our thanks go to Simon and the Events team for organising a wonderful visit. A great way to spend a Friday. I can’t wait for the next visit.
