Birkenhead Central Library is one of twenty-four libraries (as of March 2011) forming the Wirral Library Service in the

Metropolitan Borough of Wirral The Metropolitan Borough of Wirral is a metropolitan borough of Merseyside, in North West England. It has a population of 321,238, and encompasses of the northern part of the Wirral Peninsula. Major settlements include Birkenhead, Wallasey, ...

Merseyside Merseyside ( ) is a metropolitan and ceremonial county in North West England, with a population of 1.38 million. It encompasses both banks of the Mersey Estuary and comprises five metropolitan boroughs: Knowsley, St Helens, Sefton, Wi ...

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 ...

. The library is located on Borough Road,

Birkenhead Birkenhead (; cy, Penbedw) is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral, Merseyside, England; historically, it was part of Cheshire until 1974. The town is on the Wirral Peninsula, along the south bank of the River Mersey, opposite Liver ...

History

The original Birkenhead Central Library was opened in 1856 in a different part of Birkenhead from the present-day site. At the time, it was the first public library in the country in an unincorporated borough. The current central library building on Borough Road was opened in 1934 by

King George V George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert; 3 June 1865 – 20 January 1936) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 until his death in 1936. Born during the reign of his grandmother Qu ...

and is designated by Wirral Council as a historic site.

Services and activities

The library offers the traditional lending service for books including large print, foreign language titles, talking books and digital audio and video media, newspaper and magazine reading and local community information. There is also a dedicated children's library and a reference library on the upper floor containing extensive local archives. The library also offers exhibition/display facilities and room hire. Other activities include a monthly reading group, storytime for under fives, "baby bounce and rhyme" and Learn Direct computer courses, including ECDL and business courses. There is also a ''Friends of Birkenhead Central Library'' group which holds events on a regular basis.

Wilfred Owen memorial

At the top of the main stairwell is a stained glass memorial window to

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

poet

Wilfred Owen Wilfred Edward Salter Owen MC (18 March 1893 – 4 November 1918) was an English poet and soldier. He was one of the leading poets of the First World War. His war poetry on the horrors of trenches and gas warfare was much influenced b ...

. Owen lived in Birkenhead in three homes, all within a mile of the library. The memorial window was designed by David Hillhouse, and was created and made by Bill (William) Davies at his Millers Hay studios in Irby. It was unveiled in 1995 by Peter Owen, the nephew of Wilfred Owen.

Threat of closure

In 2008 it was announced that there were council plans to close the current site as part of a strategic review. The plans included consolidating library services into newer buildings alongside existing leisure facilities at the Europa Pools complex, on the other side of the town centre. As of February 2023, these plans have not come to fruition and the Birkenhead Central Library remains situated in the 1934 building on Borough Road.

References

{{Authority control Library buildings completed in 1934 Public libraries in Merseyside Buildings and structures in Birkenhead 1934 establishments in England