In celebration of 100 years of the Common Room at the Retreat House – the home of the Retreat House Library – we undertook a complete reorganisation and full cataloguing of the entire collection. The Library is used daily by guests, retreatants, students from the College of the Resurrection plus brethren, and this project marks an important moment in its history.
With the permission of Br Jude (Guest Brother), a dedicated team led by Fr Ryan (not pictured) and Academic Librarian Anisha worked together with Assistant Librarian Melanie, volunteers Ashley Taylor-Smith, Ben Gordon-Taylor, and Pam Brickdale (not pictured) to transform the library. Over four months, Fr Ryan carefully weeded the collection to ensure the books available to retreatants were relevant and helpful. Meanwhile, the Library team catalogued the entire collection onto our online Library Catalogue, which can be searched here: https://uk.accessit.online/cmm00. The books are now organised into clear subject areas, including Theology, Spirituality, History/Travel, Fiction, Art, Poetry, and Biography.
One hundred years ago, the Common Room project was covered in the CR Review (no. 88, 1924). It records the urgent need for a new Common Room, noting that retreatants had only two very small rooms to use when not in church and that these were no longer adequate. In December 1924, the estimated cost of the new building was £3,000. A later update in CR Review (no. 94, 1926) reports the completion of the work in April:
“…It contains a bright, large and comfortable common room facing South and West. Above it, there is a smaller writing room, also designed to catch all the sun to be had, and several bedrooms have been added.” (pp. 31–32)
Looking ahead, the Retreat House is due to be refurbished in the coming years. To learn more about this work and our fundraising activities, please check the website for updates.