Qualla: National Library of Wales

National Library of Wales: Introduction

Sat, 14 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Dylan Moore, CC BY-SA 2.0. The Black Book of Carmarthen is the oldest surviving manuscript written entirely in Welsh, dating from around 1250. It lives on a hilltop in Aberystwyth, inside a Portland stone building with a reading room that has been compared to a Gothic cathedral. The National Library of Wales holds over 6.5 million books and periodicals, 25,000 manuscripts, and the largest collections of Welsh archives, maps, and photographs in existence. It is, in the most literal sense, the memory of a nation.

Image: Dylan Moore | CC BY-SA 2.0

National Library of Wales: Lloyd George's Library

Sat, 14 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Christopher Williams, Public domain. The campaign to establish a national library for Wales began in 1873, when a committee started collecting Welsh material at University College, Aberystwyth. The effort took decades. In 1905, the government finally committed funding to establish both a National Library and a Natio...

Image: Christopher Williams | Public domain

National Library of Wales: A Cathedral for Books

Sat, 14 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Stinglehammer, CC BY-SA 4.0. The building's North Reading Room, where printed books are consulted, stretches 175 feet long, 47 feet wide, and 33 feet high, with galleries at three levels above the floor. Portland stone on the upper storeys contrasts with Cornish granite below, giving the building a solidity ...

Image: Stinglehammer | CC BY-SA 4.0

National Library of Wales: The Tunnel Under the Hill

Sat, 14 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Vertigogen, CC BY-SA 2.0. During the Second World War, the library became a sanctuary for some of Britain's most irreplaceable cultural treasures. Architect Charles Holden designed a heated and ventilated tunnel into the rock outcrop behind the building, funded jointly with the British Museum. From July 1...

Image: Vertigogen | CC BY-SA 2.0

National Library of Wales: The Manuscripts That Define a Language

Sat, 14 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Unknown author, CC0. The library's manuscript collection anchors the entire written history of the Welsh language. The Black Book of Carmarthen preserves the earliest Welsh poetry. The Book of Taliesin and the Hendregadredd Manuscript extend the record further. The White Book of Rhydderch contains th...

Image: Unknown author | CC0

National Library of Wales: Living Archive

Sat, 14 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit John Price (ca.1502-55), CC0. The library continues to evolve. Its South Reading Room, once used for consulting archives and maps, now houses the Wales Broadcast Archive Centre, preserving programs from BBC Wales, ITV Wales, and S4C dating back to the 1920s. The Gregynog Gallery on the second floor displays r...

Image: John Price (ca.1502-55) | CC0