The Library celebrates its 75th Anniversary in 2008. Formerly known as the British Jigsaw Puzzle Club, it began in 1933 and has survived for 75 years despite many difficulties which caused the closure of other clubs.

Our gratitude goes out to the previous owners of the Library for all their dedication and hard work in making the Library what it is today. Above all, we would like to thank the many members, past and present, for their loyal support over the years.

The British Jigsaw Puzzle Library provides the opportunity to borrow jigsaw puzzles.   These puzzles are all wooden and vary in the style and degree of difficulty.   Read on for more information.

The British Jigsaw Puzzle Library

This is a lending library and puzzles are exchanged mainly by post.  Members are sent puzzles according to their preferences with regard to size and difficulty.  We undertake to exchange them as promptly as possible and not to supply the same puzzle twice (unless asked to do so!).

All the puzzles are wooden without picture guides and our team of cutters keeps adding to our collection of about 4,000 puzzles.  The variety of style and degree of difficulty are wide and we take considerable care to suit each member.

Members may keep the puzzles for any length of time within their subscription period and always have some at home whilst the others are being exchanged.

History of The British Jigsaw Puzzle Library

The British Jigsaw Puzzle Library has been in existence since 1933 when Lord Craigavon, an addictive solver of puzzles, wished to lend his puzzles to friends and introduced a subscription charge to cover costs.

Soon, Lord Craigavon passed on the Library and its existing forty members to a lady who introduced the exchanging of puzzles by post.  A booklet was enclosed in each puzzle box, in which members were invited to confirm that the puzzle was complete.   This also gave a indications of age and condition of the puzzles and the expertise and likes and dislikes of the member.  This has proved invaluable and has continued to this day.

In 1942, during the war, the then owner, Elsie Baldwyn, was advised to close.  Elsie felt it was her duty to carry on the library and what finally made up her mind, for some obscure reason, was a baby's shoe in a parcel.  This shoe is still with the Library and has remained as the Club's mascot.

During the next few years, Elsie was able to introduce many more puzzles and widen the choice of difficulty of cuts to members.  Elsie also headed her writing paper 'Under Royal Patronage' as The Princesses Marie Louise and Helena Victoria became members, as well as Lady Patricia Ramsay.  The Library still has Royal Members, Her Majesty the Queen being one of them.

The Library has only had seven owners throughout its sixty-seven years, and the current owners are dedicated to keeping the Library in excellent condition, as all of the previous Jigsaw Puzzle Library owners were.