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Hidden Treasurers of Britain’s Great University Cities: Cambridge & Oxford
photo by Diliff.
The Manuscript Society is pleased to announce another custom-designed European study trip for our members, this time focusing on the great English university cities of Cambridge and Oxford. We will spend a week examining the amazing holdings of college, public, and private libraries and collections, often enjoying special openings and access that few visitors obtain.
Cambridge/Oxford: September 10-18, 2025
London Add-On: September 18-21, 2025
Our touring will uncover lovely secret places in both Cambridge and Oxford, including a number of historic libraries and archives with precious documents and rare books relating to scientists, authors, thinkers, artists and more, both British and European. Our time will be split between historic college campuses and excursions to magnificent private country estates with notable private libraries and collections. Center city hotels (a four-star and a five-star) provide comfortable and convenient accommodations throughout the weeklong itinerary, and we’ll enjoy hospitality at historic pubs, fine restaurants, and private estates. Join us for this one-of-a-kind look at Cambridge and Oxford from a unique Manuscript Society perspective!
2025 Annual Trip Brochure & Registration (PDF)
Cambridge/Oxford Tour Schedule
Highlights
Books, Manuscripts, and More: The Best of Cambridge
A number of the renowned College Libraries of Cambridge. Begin with a tour of Wren Library at Trinity College, the largest of the Cambridge college libraries designed by Christopher Wren in 1676 and completed in 1695. The collection includes 1,250 western medieval manuscripts, many books are from the library of Sir Isaac Newton, the Rothschild collection of 18th century literature, as well as the Kessler collection of livre d’artistes. Pepys Library at Magdalene College, the personal library collected by Samuel Pepys, which he bequeathed to the college after his death in 1703. The more than 3,000 volumes, including Pepys diary, form one of the most important surviving 17th century private libraries. As a grand finale, be greeted by staff of Cambridge University’s prestigious Manuscripts Department, with a chance to consult rare and fascinating pieces within their peerless collection.
Great Historic Libraries Just Outside Cambridge
Eight miles south of Cambridge to the 2,500- acre Wimpole Estate. At Wimpole Hall, visit the library that was built by James Gibbs in 1730 and became the prized possession of the 1st Earl of Harwicke, who was an avid collector and lover of books. It is the largest and most important collection of books and manuscripts ever assembled by a private individual in England. Enjoy lunch at Wimpole Hall’s Old Rectory Restaurant.
Visit Angelsey Abbey, dating back to Jacobean times. Lord Fairhaven built up a beautifully maintained library and a very personalized books collection that we will be invited to review “up close.”
Art and Libraries En Route to Oxford
Visit the attractive countryside between the two great university towns with a morning stop at Drayton House to the quite remarkable private library contained within the house. We’ll have the special chance to admire some of the most special historic works within the collection. We continue to Boughton House, owned by the Duke and Duchess of Buccleuch and Queensberry, a Tudor monastic building enlarged around seven courtyards! After lunch in the Boughton House Café, we’ll explore the house’s outstanding collections of 16th- to 18th-century furnishings and art, with works by El Greco, Van Dyck, and Gainsborough.
Arriving at Oxford in the late afternoon, we check into our center-city five-star hotel, the Randolph.
Iconic Oxford: Libraries and more
First, a guided walking tour of the city and the University of Oxford, with its famous “dreaming spires” and venerable colleges. Admire beautiful architecture and prized parks and green spaces while getting the “lay of the land” in this legendary capital of learning. Then lunch at a historic pub in the heart of the city. In the afternoon take a guided tour of the Bodleian Library, which first opened to scholars in 1602 making it one of the oldest libraries in Europe. Explore the Bodleian’s reading rooms, Radcliffe Camera, 15th-century Divinity School, Convocation House, Chancellor’s Court and Duke Humfrey’s medieval library. We continue to Merton College, home to the world’s oldest continuously functioning library for university academics and students. Merton’s special collections include medieval manuscripts, early printed books, and personal papers of notable college members.
Stately Libraries on Great Estates
An in-depth visit of Waddesdon Manor, a French Renaissance château built by the Rothschilds in the 19th century famous for its world-class collection of French 18th-century decorative arts and 17th- 18th- century paintings, which were assembled by three generations of Rothschilds. The guided tour will include a special private viewing of the library with its world-class collection of 17th- and 18th-century volumes.
Next there is a delicious country luncheon at the Lord Nelson Pub. In the afternoon, we have the pleasure of a private visit and tea at Wormsley Park, the 2500-acre estate and 18th-century country house, still the home of Sir Mark Getty. His father, the late Sir Paul Getty, created the library, which includes precious early manuscripts and a first edition of The Canterbury Tales.
Country Houses Great and Small: Blenheim & Rousham
Our morning is filled with a wide-ranging visit at Blenheim, the vast, magnificent, baroque palace built by Queen Anne for the Duke of Marlborough after his decisive 1704 victory over Louis XIV. Still owned by the family, it was the birthplace of Winston Churchill and features extensive landscaping by “Capability” Brown. Just miles away, Rousham House is a perfect counterpoint to the gargantuan Blenheim. Still very much a lived-in home, this estate is surrounded by glorious gardens and still maintains much of its original William Kent design, including the sublime library that was lauded by Horace Walpole after its completion in 1760.
A Fond Farewell to England or Continue to London
One morning transfer (about 1 hour) will be provided from our Oxford hotel to London Heathrow airport to meet flight departures. Or travelers may choose to continue their Manuscript Society tour and head to London for a 3-night extension.
MINIMUM REQUIRED: 16 persons
MAXIMUM ALLOWED: 24 persons
A Library Lover’s London (Optional extension)
September 18–21, 2025
This fun and creative combination of archives, museums, architectural monuments, and hidden collections is a one-of-a-kind way to explore London, specially designed for lovers of books and historic documents. We will spend three nights in the five-star comforts of the Bankside Hotel, near the Thames, just steps from the Tate Modern, the Globe Theater, and the Millennium Bridge, and surrounded by good restaurants. Arriving in London, we will have a special look at the historic holdings of the Royal Society, England’s most prestigious scientific academy. We’ll be guests of the Middle Temple Hall for a lunch and a tour of the rare medieval church. Rare book collections at multiple historic libraries will be opened for us, including King’s College’s legendary library. An easy trip out to Kew will feature both the National Archives of the UK with lots of surprising treasures and the beautiful library of Kew Gardens, with extremely rare maps and early books and drawings related to horticulture. We’ll see Ham House, one of London’s finest 17th-century homes, complete with a stunning original wood-decorated library. Great museums will also be part of the experience, with a private visit (pending confirmation) of the Victoria & Albert’s famed archives and a stop to see the conservation laboratories of the British Museum. During your stay in London, you will learn from a great guide, marvel at lesser-known wonders, and enjoy a variety of fun meals, including a fine dining farewell dinner with your fellow travelers.
MINIMUM REQUIRED: 12 persons
Questions: Contact Shirley Sands, Executive Director, executivedirector@manuscript.org