WORK has started on a £13.5m new library and study centre extension to St John’s College library at the University of Oxford.

Wantage-based construction company Stepnell is building the new facility which will provide a two-storey study centre and central archive within part of the President’s Garden.

The award of the project follows Stepnell’s refurbishment and extension last year of the New Library at Magdalen College. Both schemes were designed by Wright & Wright Architects.

Steve Burgess, regional director for Stepnell said: "We are delighted to have been selected to build this exciting and challenging new scheme for St John’s College and to be working again with its talented designers Wright & Wright Architects.

"The new library and study centre will provide students with an enhanced learning environment along with much-needed flexible space and state-of-the-art equipment to meet 21st century requirements.

"We are also looking forward to working again with the local supply chain and seeing this fantastic facility take shape."

The new study centre and library extension will link the college’s Canterbury Quadrangle, which houses three of its four listed libraries – the Laudian Library, the Paddy Room and the 15th century Old Library - from The Groves area of St John’s College, a Grade II-listed park and garden, through to the President’s Garden.

The college's library buildings currently house important early and rare books, manuscripts, special collections and literary archives, dating from the 9th century, from Aelfric to Spike Milligan.

The new building, which will join the Laudian Library at the first-floor, will double the current library seating facilities and significantly increase the current book shelving capacity.

The facility will also feature a variety of different types of study space, including teaching and seminar facilities, rooms for group study, and an informal study area.

Professor Andrew Parker, principal bursar at St John’s College said: "The College is delighted to be working with this experienced team on this development.

"A group of Fellows from St John's visited the works at Magdalen in the closing phases of that project. We were very impressed with what we saw and we are sure that we will see the same high standards at St John's."

The project is due for completion in late 2017.