Liverpool Central Library is the largest of the 22 libraries in

Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

, situated in the centre of the city.

History

The library is located in several adjoining historic buildings on

William Brown Street William Brown Street in Liverpool, England, is a road that is remarkable for its concentration of public buildings. It is sometimes referred to as the "Cultural Quarter". Originally known as ''Shaw's Brow'', a coaching road east from the city, ...

. Its first building was the

William Brown Library and Museum The William Brown Library and Museum is a Grade II* listed building situated on the historic William Brown Street in Liverpool, England. The building currently houses part of the World Museum Liverpool and Liverpool Central Library. The Will ...

building which was completed in 1860 to the designs of John Weightman Surveyor to Liverpool Corporation, (not to be confused with his near contemporary

John Grey Weightman John Grey Weightman (29 March 1809 – 9 December 1872) was a British architect based in Sheffield. Career He was born on 29 March 1809 in Bawtry, West Riding of Yorkshire, the son of Robert Weightman and Mary Gray. He trained in the offices of ...

) and which it has always shared with the city's museum, now known as

World Museum Liverpool World Museum is a large museum in Liverpool, England which has extensive collections covering archaeology, ethnology and the natural and physical sciences. Special attractions include the Natural History Centre and a planetarium. Entry to the ...

. The library was then extended further to the right with the addition in 1879 of the Picton Reading Room and to the rear with the Hornby Library in 1906. All three of these are

Grade II* listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...

s and are built in a classical style similar to other buildings on the street. Liverpool Central Library rebuild December 13 2011

Previous to the creation of this

public library A public library is a library that is accessible by the general public and is usually funded from public sources, such as taxes. It is operated by librarians and library paraprofessionals, who are also Civil service, civil servants. There are ...

was England's first subscription library (1758-1942), latterly known as

The Lyceum, Liverpool The Lyceum is a Neoclassical Grade II* listed building located on Bold Street, Liverpool. It was constructed in 1802 as a news-room and England's first subscription library (1758–1942) and later became a gentleman's club. After the club r ...

, but often referred to as the Liverpool Library. 750,000 people visited the museum in 2017. In 2018, the library won The Bookseller’s Library of the Year Award.

Rebuilding

In May 2008 it was announced that some of the complex of buildings that hold the Central Library were to be demolished and replaced with modern buildings suitable for use with modern IT services. The historic buildings in the complex would be refurbished to provide modern facilities and was designed by the Architects Austin-Smith:Lord. In October 2009 the proposed rebuild was shown to the public. The main library building on William Brown Street closed on 23 July 2010, while closed, a temporary service operated from next door, on the second floor of

Liverpool World Museum World Museum is a large museum in Liverpool, England which has extensive collections covering archaeology, ethnology and the natural and physical sciences. Special attractions include the Natural History Centre and a planetarium. Entry to the ...

. The refurbished building features a central

atrium Atrium may refer to: Anatomy * Atrium (heart), an anatomical structure of the heart * Atrium, the genital structure next to the genital aperture in the reproductive system of gastropods * Atrium of the ventricular system of the brain * Pulmona ...

, with a series of open-plan floors. The atrium is topped with a glass dome, and the building has a

roof terrace A terrace is an external, raised, open, flat area in either a landscape (such as a park or garden) near a building, or as a roof terrace on a flat roof. Ground terraces Terraces are used primarily for leisure activity such as sitting, stroll ...

, with views out over the city centre. It re-opened to the public on Friday 17 May 2013. At the entrance to the library is a 72 foot granite walkway, inlaid with the titles of literary classics. The titles contain a riddle, a series of letters picked out in red which spell out the title of a small but eye-catching item in the library's collection. The riddle was included to provoke the interest of visitors, and was presented as a competition at the museum's re-opening. 500 people took part, with 200 solving the riddle, and three winners were chosen in October 2013, five months after opening. The library has not revealed the answer to the riddle, in order to preserve the puzzle for future visitors.

Library group

It is a member of the Libraries Together: Liverpool Learning Partnership (evolved from Liverpool Libraries Group) which formed in 1990. Under which, a registered reader at any of the member libraries can have access rights to the other libraries within the partnership.

Gallery

File:Liverpool Central Library Picton Reading Room.jpg, The Picton Reading Room inside the library File:Main entrance to Liverpool Central Library.JPG, Main entrance to Liverpool Central Library File:Liverpool Central Library atrium staircase.jpg, The atrium staircase of the Liverpool Central Library, view from the bottom File:Liverpool Central Library atrium.jpg, The atrium staircase of the Liverpool Central Library, view from the bottom File:Liverpool Central Library staircase.jpg, The atrium staircase of the Liverpool Central Library, view from the top File:Liverpool Central Library glass fixture.jpg, The atrium staircase of the Liverpool Central Library, rooftop glass structure File:Liverpool Central Library Roof Terrece,17 May 2013 (3).jpg, Liverpool Central Library Roof Terrace File:Liverpool Central Library Roof Terrece,17 May 2013 (2).jpg, Liverpool Central Library Roof Terrace

References

External links

*
Virtual tour of Liverpool Central Library

Liverpool Libraries web page

Images of England:Picton Reading Room and Hornby Library

Images of England:William Brown Library

In pictures: Liverpool's restored £50m library
BBC News 15 May 2013 {{Authority control Public libraries in Merseyside Culture in Liverpool Grade II* listed buildings in Liverpool Grade II* listed library buildings Libraries in Liverpool