The Abbotsford library was created by Sir Walter Scott during his literary career as he was a collector of many resources including books, artefacts, and even weaponry (Abbotsford House, 2019). The library was located in Abbotsford as a special addition and stood on the River Tweed, which includes Talla water that is now a dam for Edinburgh’s water supply (Britannica, 2019). It was one of two homes to Scott where many writers and publishers visited, and can now be seen by the public today as well. The Abbotsford can be found near Galashiels which is a town in the Scottish borders council area that is also close to the River Tweed. The books included in his collection were both originals and famous written works including Ivanhoe, Lady of the Lake, and Old Mortality (Abbotsford House, 2019).
Sir Walter Scott put a lot of effort into building the Abbotsford as he hired many famous architects to help design it, and who continued to work on it after his death in 1832 (Abbotsford House, 2019). It was open for being viewed by the public five months after his death. The Abbotsford Library postcard is so important because it keeps the home of Sir Walter Scott, and all of significance mentioned, present. The historical value is that it is a reminder of the Abbotsford and its role that it had in Scotland. The fact that so many famous architects helped to build his home is why it has so much historical value and why the postcard showed his favourite addition of the home to represent it.
The library is committed to ensuring that members of our user community with disabilities have equal access to our services and resources and that their dignity and independence is always respected. If you encounter a barrier and/or need an alternate format, please fill out our Library Print and Multimedia Alternate-Format Request Form. Contact us if you’d like to provide feedback: lib.a11y@uoguelph.ca
