On 20 January, Christ’s Hospital Library unveiled two new bookplates, designed by pupils to mark five years since the opening of the Language and Resource Centre, where the library is housed.
Bookplates are printed or decorative labels pasted into books to indicate ownership. The new bookplates were designed by CH art scholars Ellen Warner, from Southwater near Horsham, and Sarah Roberts, from London, who are now in their final year at the school.
The library is stunningly positioned on the top floor of the Language and Resource Centre, with superb views over the school’s grounds on all sides. It was these beautiful and contrasting views that Ellen and Sarah used as inspiration for their bookplate designs, which are quite different one from the other. ‘I liked the idea of drawing the view from the front of the library towards the school buildings’, said Ellen, whose design is a striking pen drawing. Sarah’s etched and printed design, on the other hand, features the view of playing fields and trees from the back of the library and was ‘inspired by pastoral English landscapes by artists such as Constable.’
A small celebratory event was held in the CH Library to unveil and showcase the new bookplates, during which Deputy Head of Christ’s Hospital Luke Walters presented the two art scholars with a book and their framed bookplate designs as a ‘thank you’. There was also a display featuring books with historic CH bookplates in, now to be joined by the two new bookplate designs.
‘The new bookplates are not only beautifully designed pieces of art in their own right; they are also a lasting legacy for the school,’ said Mr Walters. ‘They will be admired for years to come by future generations of CH pupils and that is very special indeed. We are immensely appreciative and grateful to Ellen and Sarah and hope they will return in years to come and see their bookplates still proudly displayed in our library books.’
Christ’s Hospital Library houses the school’s main lending collection of over 5,000 fiction books and 13,000 non-fiction books.
Categories: Christ's Hospital School School News
