THE 60,000-volume library of Spurgeon’s College is among the lots being sold by administrators, after the 169-year-old Baptist theological college in south London suddenly closed last month (News, 8 August).
A “sales teaser” from the administrators, BDO, offers viewers a “rare opportunity to preserve and continue [Charles Spurgeon’s] legacy and the impact both he and Spurgeon’s had in the Baptist community and the wider world”.
The assets may be sold individually, or as a collection, including theological texts and intellectual property comprising five written theology programmes. The document describes the library as “the best collection of theological textbooks in the UK”.
Artefacts for sale include the trowel that Spurgeon used to lay the college’s foundation stone in 1856. The closing date for offers is 18 September, and the removal date is by 3 October.
Separately, on 25 September, Forum Auctions is auctioning the college’s antiquarian texts, including a Coverdale New Testament, dated 1539, with an estimate of £10,000 to £15,000.
The closure of Spurgeon’s follows warnings about the long-term viability of the theological-education sector (News, 2 August 2024). In 2019, St John’s College, Nottingham, closed. Its library was transferred to St Mellitus College, East Midlands (News, 6 December 2019).
scott.bebbington@bdo.co.uk