Plans include creating a dedicated education space in one part of the building and an interpretation and study in the library and archive area.

The project will involve using a former archive space on the first floor of the Pearson building for schools and formal learning; and equipping the ground floor of the west wing of the Bishop’s Palace for library and archive study. Proposals also include recruiting staff to deliver a programme of activities and better manage the library and archive collections. Improvements to the storage and management of the library and archive in the cathedral were already made during an earlier phase of works.

The cathedral library is the oldest surviving library in Devon. It was founded by Leofric, the first Bishop of Exeter (1050-1072) and its contents have been catalogued since at least 1327. It contains materials for general learning, including not only the history of Christian and other faiths, but also the changing history, politics and practice of medicine and law in the country over the last 1,000 years. The library holds many important books and documents including ‘The Exeter Book’, which is an anthology of poetry, copied around 965-975AD and written in Anglo Saxon.