The A. K. Bell Library is an historic building on York Place in

Perth, Perth and Kinross Perth (locally: ; gd, Peairt ) is a city in central Scotland, on the banks of the River Tay. It is the administrative centre of Perth and Kinross council area and the historic county town of Perthshire. It had a population of about 47,43 ...

, Scotland. The building was originally a hospital before becoming a municipal building and later a library. The central section of the building is Category A

listed Listed may refer to: * Listed, Bornholm, a fishing village on the Danish island of Bornholm * Listed (MMM program), a television show on MuchMoreMusic * Endangered species in biology * Listed building, in architecture, designation of a historicall ...

. The lodge to the estate, now removed from its original location, is Category B listed.

History

The building, situated on the western outskirts of the city centre, was originally commissioned as a hospital and was made possible by a gift of £1,000. The foundation stone was laid by

Lord Kinnaird Lord Kinnaird was a title in the Peerage of Scotland. It was created in 1682 for George Kinnaird. The ninth Lord was created Baron Rossie, of Rossie in the County of Perth, in the Peerage of the United Kingdom in 1831, with normal remainder to th ...

in 1836. It was designed by William Mackenzie in the

neoclassical style Neoclassical architecture is an architectural style produced by the Neoclassicism, Neoclassical movement that began in the mid-18th century in Italy and France. It became one of the most prominent architectural styles in the Western world. The pr ...

, built in

ashlar Ashlar () is finely dressed (cut, worked) stone, either an individual stone that has been worked until squared, or a structure built from such stones. Ashlar is the finest stone masonry unit, generally rectangular cuboid, mentioned by Vitruv ...

stone was officially opened as the County and City Infirmary on 1 October 1838. The design involved a symmetrical main frontage with eleven bays facing onto York Place with the end bays projected forward; the central section of three bays, which also projected forward, featured a large

porte-cochère A porte-cochère (; , late 17th century, literally 'coach gateway'; plural: porte-cochères, portes-cochères) is a doorway to a building or courtyard, "often very grand," through which vehicles can enter from the street or a covered porch-like ...

with a central

niche Niche may refer to: Science *Developmental niche, a concept for understanding the cultural context of child development *Ecological niche, a term describing the relational position of an organism's species *Niche differentiation, in ecology, the ...

flanked by two round headed windows. At roof level there was a

dentil A dentil (from Lat. ''dens'', a tooth) is a small block used as a repeating ornament in the bedmould of a cornice. Dentils are found in ancient Greek and Roman architecture, and also in later styles such as Neoclassical, Federal, Georgian Reviv ...

led cornice, a

parapet A parapet is a barrier that is an extension of the wall at the edge of a roof, terrace, balcony, walkway or other structure. The word comes ultimately from the Italian ''parapetto'' (''parare'' 'to cover/defend' and ''petto'' 'chest/breast'). Whe ...

and a stone decoration in the form of a

scroll A scroll (from the Old French ''escroe'' or ''escroue''), also known as a roll, is a roll of papyrus, parchment, or paper containing writing. Structure A scroll is usually partitioned into pages, which are sometimes separate sheets of papyrus ...

surmounted by a

seashell A seashell or sea shell, also known simply as a shell, is a hard, protective outer layer usually created by an animal or organism that lives in the sea. The shell is part of the body of the animal. Empty seashells are often found washe ...

. The other bays were fenestrated by

sash window A sash window or hung sash window is made of one or more movable panels, or "sashes". The individual sashes are traditionally paned window (architecture), paned windows, but can now contain an individual sheet (or sheets, in the case of double gla ...

s. Patients with infectious diseases were admitted to the wings from 1891. The building was vacated when the

Perth Royal Infirmary Perth Royal Infirmary is a district hospital in Perth. The Royal Infirmary serves a population of around 182,000 across the City of Perth and the wider Perth and Kinross area. It is managed by NHS Tayside. History Perth Royal infirmary has it ...

opened on Glasgow Road in 1914, and the former County and City Infirmary was then used as a

British Red Cross The British Red Cross Society is the United Kingdom body of the worldwide neutral and impartial humanitarian network the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement. The society was formed in 1870, and is a registered charity with more ...

Voluntary Aid Detachment The Voluntary Aid Detachment (VAD) was a voluntary unit of civilians providing nursing care for military personnel in the United Kingdom and various other countries in the British Empire. The most important periods of operation for these units we ...

Hospital, where service personnel who had been wounded on the

Western Front Western Front or West Front may refer to: Military frontiers *Western Front (World War I), a military frontier to the west of Germany *Western Front (World War II), a military frontier to the west of Germany *Western Front (Russian Empire), a majo ...

were treated. The building was acquired by the Perthshire Education Authority in 1920 and, following the implementation of the

Local Government (Scotland) Act 1929 The Local Government (Scotland) Act 1929 (19 & 20 Geo 5 c. 25) reorganised local government in Scotland from 1930, introducing joint county councils, large and small burghs and district councils. The Act also abolished the Scottish poor law syst ...

, the administration of the county of

Perthshire Perthshire (locally: ; gd, Siorrachd Pheairt), officially the County of Perth, is a historic county and registration county in central Scotland. Geographically it extends from Strathmore in the east, to the Pass of Drumochter in the north, ...

and of the neighbouring county of

Kinross-shire The County of Kinross or Kinross-shire is a historic county and registration county in eastern Scotland, administered as part of Perth and Kinross since 1930. Surrounding its largest settlement and county town of Kinross, the county borders Per ...

were combined under a joint council based at the former hospital building in York Place which became known as the "County Offices". Following the implementation of the

Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973 The Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973 (c. 65) is an Act of Parliament of the United Kingdom that altered local government in Scotland on 16 May 1975. The Act followed and largely implemented the report of the Royal Commission on Local Gove ...

, the joint council was abolished and a two tier system was introduced with many of the council officers either joining Perth and Kinross District Council or

Tayside Regional Council Tayside ( gd, Taobh Tatha) was one of the nine regions used for local government in Scotland from 15 May 1975 to 31 March 1996. The region was named for the River Tay. It was created by the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973, following rec ...

. After Perth and Kinross District Council opened new offices at 2 High Street, the building closed completely as a municipal facility in 1985. The building was extensively modernised as part of a programme to convert it into a library between 1992 and 1995. The works, which were carried out by

Mowlem Mowlem was one of the largest construction and civil engineering companies in the United Kingdom. Carillion bought the firm in 2006. History The firm was founded by John Mowlem in 1822, and was continued as a partnership by successive generati ...

, involved modern wing extensions and well as an extension to the rear. The cost of conversion was £6 million and the library was named after the former partner in the

Bell's whisky Bell's is a brand of blended Scotch whisky produced by Diageo in Scotland. It was originally produced by Arthur Bell & Sons Ltd. It is the best selling whisky in the UK. History The Bells distillery was founded in 1798. In 1851, Arthur Bell ...

business,

Arthur Kinmond Bell Arthur Kinmond Bell, also known as AK Bell, (4 October 1868 – 16 April 1942) was a Scottish distiller, working as a partner of Arthur Bell & Sons Ltd, and as a philanthropist, founding the Gannochy Trust to help support the people of his hom ...

, who had been a significant benefactor to the town; the trust fund he had established was also been a major contributor to the new library. It was officially opened by the

Duke of Rothesay Duke of Rothesay ( ; gd, Diùc Baile Bhòid; sco, Duik o Rothesay) is a dynastic title of the heir apparent to the British throne, currently William, Prince of Wales. William's wife Catherine, Princess of Wales, is the current Duchess of R ...

on 13 January 1995. He was presented with a leather-bound, second-edition copy of W. H. Findlay's 1984 book ''Heritage of Perth''. Meanwhile, the lodge, which was built in 1836, was moved from its original location to 4 York Place. It was reconstructed by another local architect, David Smart, in 1867,David Smart
-

Dictionary of Scottish Architects The Dictionary of Scottish Architects is a publicly available online database that provides biographical information about all architects known to have worked in Scotland between 1660 and 1980, and lists their works. Launched in 2006, it was comp ...

and was converted for use as the home of the Perth and Kinross Archives. Derelict and threatened with demolition, the lodge was purchased and restored, with assistance from

Historic Scotland Historic Scotland ( gd, Alba Aosmhor) was an executive agency of the Scottish Office and later the Scottish Government from 1991 to 2015, responsible for safeguarding Scotland's built heritage, and promoting its understanding and enjoyment. ...

, by Perth and Kinross Heritage Trust in 2000. Works of art in the library include a large oil painting in the foyer by the local artist, Dan Stephen, named "Reconstruction".

Photographic collection

A notable resource at the library is the photographic collection of W. H. Findlay. The collection contains over 6,000 images of Perth, around a quarter of the total Findlay took over the course of fifty years. The rest of his collection is in the archives of the Perthshire Society of Natural Science."Dr W H Findlay Distinguished physician, botanist, photographer and community servant"
– '' The Herald'', 19 January 2006 The library also holds two albums of Magnus Jackson's tree photographs."Magnus Jackson and the Black Art"
p. 12 –

Perth and Kinross Council Perth and Kinross Council ( gd, Comhairle Pheairt is Cheann Rois) is the local government council for the Perth and Kinross council area of Scotland. It employs around 6,000 people. The council was created in 1996, under the ''Local Government ...

Sandeman collection

Upon the closure of the nearby Sandeman Library in 1995, its collection of books was moved to this location and can now be found in the Sandeman Room.Sandeman Room, AK Bell Library
– Culture Perth & Kinross

Gallery

File:AK Bell Library, Perth - Side view.jpg, East elevation File:A.K.Bell Public Library, Perth (geograph 2129070).jpg, Another view from the front

References

External links

*{{official, https://www.culturepk.org.uk/your-local-library/ak-bell-library/ Listed buildings in Perth, Scotland Category A listed buildings in Perth and Kinross 1838 establishments in Scotland Listed government buildings in Scotland Government buildings completed in 1838 Public libraries in Scotland County halls in Scotland Defunct hospitals in Scotland