Help keep Hartlebury Castle’s stories alive with our Adopt a Book scheme.
Your donation helps keep history alive, so that we can learn from our past, shape our present and impact our future for the better. Hartlebury Castle has many stories to tell, both in its wonderful Hurd Library, and in the characters who have lived and worked at the Castle through the centuries. Across the millennium, the Bishops of Worcester, their families, and servants, have played a part in events that changed the nation. Help their actions, sacrifices, and sometimes even mistakes, guide others now and in the future. You can help today by adopting a book.
When you adopt a book, you are contributing towards the preservation of both the books in your chosen collection and Hartlebury Castle itself, ensuring its ongoing maintenance, day to day running and providing an unmissable experience, inspiring all who visit.
Adopt a book and receive a digital certificate showing your support for Hartlebury Castle Trust. You can also Gift Aid your book adoption.
The Dodo Collection – £25
Adopt a book from The Dodo Collection and keep history from becoming extinct.
The Alexander Pope Collection – £50
First hand accounts and thoughts are vital to understanding social history. Amongst the library books are marginalia – notes made in margins by the readers, including those written by prominent poet Alexander Pope. These are in his personal collection, which Bishop Hurd acquired and are now kept in his library.
Adopt a book in the Alexander Pope Collection and your money will preserve his and others comments, providing insight into society of the time and influencing the future stories we teach.
The Bishop Hurd Collection – £100
Our ‘Jewel in the Crown’, the Hurd Library, all started with one man and his books – Bishop Hurd. Alongside his collection are accounts of royal visits, staff records and personal letters written to friends and colleagues.
Adopt a book in the Bishop Hurd Collection and your money will help us share such valuable insights into the Castle’s history, including its ‘upstairs, downstairs’ lifestyle, with our visitors; highlighting how society has changed over the centuries and inspiring us to continue working towards equality.
The King George III Collection – £250
Thanks to his good friendship with Bishop Hurd, we are lucky to have books given by King George III which also contain his signature. Hartlebury Castle has had Royal visitors across the centuries, sometimes as a stop off on a longer journey and other times on important state business. With strong Royal connections, the Bishops of Worcester have been involved first hand in moments of national historic importance.
Adopt a book in the King George III Collection and your money is contributing to keeping the history and stories alive that took place outside of major locations and headlines. Help us tell the story of a village, city and county community, showing the human side of historical figures and demonstrate how seemingly small acts can have a significant impact.
Select to adopt the George III Collection and you will have the opportunity to view the collection in the Hurd Library.
All donations from the Adopt a Book scheme will go towards the maintenance, conservation and ongoing costs of running the Castle and its collections.
Adopt and conserve a specific book
If you would like to adopt a single book requiring significant conservation work, please contact us on fundraising@hartleburycastle.com and we will send through our catalogue of conservation.