The National Art Library’s splendid glass roof has been in place since 1881. Installed to give as much natural light as possible to the readers below, it has now seen better days. We need to replace some of the glazing and timber to keep the Library’s collections water-tight for another 140 years or so. It will be the biggest roof project to be carried out in the history of the Museum and will inevitably involve some noise and disruption to services, although we will keep this to the absolute minimum.
Preliminary works will start very shortly in October, and at the beginning of December scaffolding will be erected along the Library’s windows overlooking the garden. Once the scaffolding is up, repairs to the roof start in earnest in January. The project should be completed by May 2020.
We will keep you posted on the progress of the project, especially if there are any periods when there will be more intense work taking place (and thus increased noise). We will also share any photos wherever possible, for any roof enthusiasts out there! If you have any comments or questions, please do get in touch.
