The Lindisfarne Gospels is an illuminated manuscript gospel book, created in a monastery on Lindisfarne between 698 and 721 AD. As one of the most important books in the world, it represents the merging of insular and Roman traditions in the UK.

The St Cuthbert Gospel was created in the scriptorium of the monastery at Monkwearmouth-Jarrow. Acquired by the British Library for the nation in 2012, it was described as “the earliest surviving intact European book and one of the world’s most significant books’.

The focus of this project was to return The Gospels to Durham, on loan from the British Library, for a period of three months in 2013. Plans included delivering a learning and outreach programme, and establishing a sustainable volunteer network for Palace Green Library.