A 19th-century neo-Gothic building located on Chancery Lane in the City of London, it was formerly the home to the headquarters of the Public Record Office, known as the "strong-box of the Empire",[4] and was acquired by the university in 2001.

Following a £35m renovation designed by Gaunt Francis Architects, the Maughan is the largest new university library in the United Kingdom since World War II.

[10] In 1377, Edward III broke up the Jewish almshouse, consequently annexing the House as well as the chapel to the newly instituted office of Custos Rotulorum, or Keeper of the Rolls.

The only remains are an arch mounted on the garden elevation of the Chancery lane wing, some tomb monuments, stained glass panels and a mosaic floor.

The work of Pietro Torrigiano (who also made the tomb of Henry VII in Westminster Abbey), it features a recumbent effigy with hands crossed, wearing a red gown and square cap.

In 2001 King's College London acquired the building from the Crown Estate and appointed a design team led by Gaunt Francis Architects to oversee the renovation.

[26] The Weston Room incorporates many features from the former Rolls Chapel, including stained glass windows, a mosaic floor, and three 16th and 17th century funerary monuments.

[14] The Tudor roses and a lunette of angels found on the back of the sarcophagus resemble those on Henry VII's monument, also by Torrigiano, located in Westminster Abbey.

[14] Stained glass panels of the coat of arms of George IV dated 1823 were originally placed in the east window of the chapel and were rediscovered during the restoration works in 2002.

In 2007 the library acquired the historical collections of the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office, which includes Britain's 1812 declaration of war on the US, and contains over 60,000 items.

The collections include:[32] Established in 1964, the Liddell Hart Centre for Military Archives (LHCMA) is a leading repository for research into modern defence policy in the United Kingdom.

One of the sculptures is by Dorothy Brook, and a bronze statue of Confucius, located in the centre 'room', was donated by The Confucian Academy in 2010 to mark the official launch of the Lau China Institute.

[38][39] The dodecagonal reading room is one of the locations consulted by Robert Langdon and Sophie Neveu in chapters 92 and 95 of the Dan Brown novel, The Da Vinci Code.

[40] Part of the music video of the song Twilight's Chapter Seven from the album Still Fantasy by Taiwanese musician Jay Chou was filmed at the Maughan.

[44] The top floor of the Chancery Lane wing of the library building is used as a residence for the Principal of King's College London during their term.