Hammersmith Library in London, spring 2013 (1)

Hammersmith Library is a Grade II listed building at Shepherd's Bush Road, Hammersmith, London W6 7AT. It was built in 1905 by the architect

Henry Hare Henry Thomas Hare (1860–1921) was an English architect who was born in Scarborough, North Yorkshire, Scarborough, Yorkshire and educated in Sheffield and Harrogate. Career At the age of 16 he was articled to the Scarborough architect C A Bur ...

, with sculpture by F. E. E. Schenck. Plan of the Hammersmith Library

Perspective drawing of the Hammersmith Library

The statues in the

façade A façade () (also written facade) is generally the front part or exterior of a building. It is a loan word from the French (), which means ' frontage' or ' face'. In architecture, the façade of a building is often the most important aspect ...

are as follows: immediately to the top left of the main entrance, on the first floor, is a statue of John Milton, while to the top right of the main door is a statue of

William Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

. To the right of these statues, between the windows on the south wing of the library, are a male figure with a book, representing Literature, and a female figure with a paintbrush, representing the Arts; while to the left of the statues of Milton and Shakespeare, between the windows on the north wing, are a female figure with a wheel, representing Spinning, and a male figure with a pair of compasses, representing Astronomy.

References

Grade II listed buildings in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham Grade II listed government buildings Libraries established in 1905 Hammersmith 1905 establishments in England {{Library-struct-stub