Eton College, School Library Lantern

The School Library forms part of the Memorial Buildings alongside School Hall. Constructed between 1905–1908, these Grade II listed neo-classical buildings were dedicated to Old Etonians who lost their lives in the South African Wars.

The Library was last refurbished in the late 1960s–70s to designs by Lord William Graham Holford, Baron Holford—a key figure in post-war British town planning and author of the 1947 Town and Country Planning Act. His proposals included enclosing the cloister, reconfiguring the first-floor layout, and introducing a lantern light with a spiral staircase providing access to this new space.

While practical in intent, the lantern proved unsympathetic to the original character and proportions of School Hall.

CJA were subsequently appointed to undertake a sensitive refurbishment of the lantern and its associated internal spaces. Following the successful securing of Listed Building Consent, the design introduced new external lead finishes and conservation double-glazed leaded lights by Clement Windows Group Ltd. These interventions restore visual harmony and better reflect the historic fabric, with the new windows complementing the building’s distinctive round-headed fenestration.

Internally, the lantern has been enhanced with refined LED halo lighting by Endon Lighting, introducing a contemporary yet understated element that sits comfortably within the historic setting.