Islington Central library

Brief description

The foundation stone was laid by Alderman Henry Mills JP, Mayor of Islington, on 16 June 1906. The architect was Henry T Hare, and the builder was CP Roberts. Enlarged in the mid 1970s. The stone front has 2 statues: on the right -Bacon, on the left – Spenser.

There was a major renovation project, which began in 2019. It included a reimagining of the reference library on the second floor and the development of a new space for First Steps Learning Centre on the first floor. The final phase was a complete refurbishment of the lending library, completed in January 2022, which also saw the original front entrance being reopened for the first time since the 1970s.

Awarded Grade II listing in 1972.

Current status: Still open as a public library, run by Islington Council (2023)

• Year grant given (if known):
• Amount of grant: £20,000
• Year opened (and by who): 4 October 1907 by Sir Arthur Rucker, principal of the University of London

Photo of library in 2018:

Details:

Old photo of library (postcard):

Nothing in my collection yet, but I found this one online:

Image downloaded from the Islington media site (dated 1907)

Visited?

Thanks to a friend who has just moved to Islington, we had the excuse to visit all 4 of the libraries endowed by Carnegie in August 2016. All 4 are still open as public libraries, and all 4 were open on a Saturday. Central library was probably the most surprising, as while the stone facade on Holloway Road is impressive, the library has been hugely extended and most of it is now out the back. The door with its impressive stone porch now leads to a childrens  centre. and the library entrance is in the new section. It was absolutely buzzing, with loads of visitors, reading, using the computers and choosing books. Upstairs is the childrens section, which had a lively display based around participation in the Summer Reading Challenge, and one young lad was being quizzed on the book he had just read.

Visited again in 2018 – spent a bit of time in the lovely vaulted roofed reference room, and heard about their plans for refurbishment.

Web links:

• Entry on the listed buildings register
• News article: Islington’s Central Library renovation sees new hub for acclaimed theatre company and reopening of historic entrance (March 2022)