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Pontefract Library is a public library in Pontefract, West Yorkshire, England. The present day building is notable as one of the last examples of architecture by John Poulson
Pontefract's first library opened in 1905 to a design by George Pennington and was built with money from benefactor Andrew Carnegie. This building was designed to a
The present library was is situated on Shoemarket and was opened in 1975 to a design by disgraced Pontefract architect, John Poulson. The library was one of Poulson's final buildings, opening two years after his imprisonment for corruption. The building is of two storeys, the first floor being a mezzanine. The interior is clad in wood with a central staircase linking the ground floor with the mezzanine. The ceiling has square skylights situated over the central atrium. The exterior has the characteristic geometric shapes of Poulson's earlier
Pontefract Library
{{Coord, 53.691, -1.312, display=title Public libraries in West Yorkshire John Poulson buildings Library buildings completed in 1975 Buildings in Pontefract
Pontefract Library is a public library in Pontefract, West Yorkshire, England. The present day building is notable as one of the last examples of architecture by John Poulson
History
Pontefract's first library opened in 1905 to a design by George Pennington and was built with money from benefactor Andrew Carnegie. This building was designed to a Art Nouveau
Art Nouveau (; ) is an international style of art, architecture, and applied art, especially the decorative arts. The style is known by different names in different languages: in German, in Italian, in Catalan, and also known as the Modern ...
style and is now the location of the Pontefract Museum.
Present Library
The present library was is situated on Shoemarket and was opened in 1975 to a design by disgraced Pontefract architect, John Poulson. The library was one of Poulson's final buildings, opening two years after his imprisonment for corruption. The building is of two storeys, the first floor being a mezzanine. The interior is clad in wood with a central staircase linking the ground floor with the mezzanine. The ceiling has square skylights situated over the central atrium. The exterior has the characteristic geometric shapes of Poulson's earlier brutalist
Brutalist architecture is an architectural style that emerged during the 1950s in the United Kingdom, among the reconstruction projects of the post-war era. Brutalist buildings are characterised by Minimalism (art), minimalist constructions th ...
style buildings, however unlike his earlier works the pre-cast concrete is finished. The windows are tinted to protect the stock and extrude from the building. The library is the only public library in the town.
Facilities
The library has a study area, a children's library, a local history library and a computer area. There is also a meeting room which can be hired. The mezzanine level has lift access.See also
*Horsefair flats
The Horsefair flats are a complex of medium and high rise maisonettes and flats in Pontefract, West Yorkshire, England. The scheme was approved in 1956 and designed by John Poulson. The blocks were refurbished in 1999.
Layout
The complex lies ...
- Poulson's other major work in Pontefract
References
External links
Pontefract Library
{{Coord, 53.691, -1.312, display=title Public libraries in West Yorkshire John Poulson buildings Library buildings completed in 1975 Buildings in Pontefract