Category: West Yorkshire

Heckmondwike library

Brief description

A large, two-storied stone building with ornate gable-ends. The Clerk of Heckmondwike Urban District Council applied to Carnegie for a grant in 1902 and was offered £2,500 (Carnegie gave a further £38 in 1908). The architect was Henry Stead, a local man, and the site was given by Sir Thomas Firth (of Firth’s Carpets), who also gave £100 for books. The building, which was opened in January 25th, 1911, had tiled dados, oak furniture and hot water heating. The newsroom was on the ground floor and the lending library, reference section and workroom were on the first. Part of the ground floor was used as a rates office. Although modernised inside many of the old features remain.

Current status: Still open as a public library, run by Kirklees council (2017)

  • Year grant given (if known): 1902
  • Amount of grant: £2,538
  • Year opened (and by who – if known): 25 January 1911

Photo of library today (2009):

geograph-1299914-by-Betty-Longbottom

Photo credit: Betty Longbottom and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence

Old photo of library (postcard):

Nothing in my collection yet

Visited?

Not yet

Web links:

Batley library

Brief description

Designed by local architects Walter Hanstock & Son. The central round arched window has panel below with carved embossed words CARNEGIE LIBRARY. The library opened with a staff of 5.

Awarded Grade II listing in 1984.

Current status: Still open as a public library, run by Kirklees Council (2016)

  • Year grant given (if known): 1903
  • Amount of grant: £6,000 in 1903 and a further £988 for the clock tower
  • Year opened (and by who – if known): 19 October 1907

Photo of library today (2011):

5541268640_a9f8b18fd2_z

Photo credit: flickr user Tim Green, shared under CC licence

Details:

Old photo of library (postcard):

batley

Visited?

Not yet

Web links:

Almondbury library

Brief description

The foundation stone was laid by Alderman JA Brooke JP on 8 July 1905. The building was designed by borough architect Kenneth Findlater Campbell.

Current status: Still open as a public library. Currently run by Kirklees council, but plans are underway to transfer it to community management  (2016)

  • Year grant given (if known):
  • Amount of grant: £1,500
  • Year opened (and by who – if known): 1906

Photo of library today (2008):

geograph-730490-by-humphrey-bolton

© Copyright Humphrey Bolton and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence

Details:

Old photo of library (postcard):

Nothing in my collection yet

Visited?

Not yet

Web and other links :

  • Almondbury: “A splendid little library” [A commemorative brochure
    celebrating Almondbury library] written by Rob Greenwood in
    association with Friends of Almondbury Library and Kirklees Library &
    Information Service, 2009. (reviewed in this issue of the Library and Information History newsletter)
  • Friends of Almondbury library

Burley library

Brief description

Situated on Cardigan Road, this library was built in 1926. The library cost £8,338 to build, a large amount of this came from the Carnegie Trust. It is a simlar design to the libraries in Bramley and Compton Road.

Current status: Closed February 2016

  • Year grant given (if known):
  • Amount of grant: c£8,000
  • Year opened (and by who – if known): 15 June 1926, by Alderman Sir Percy Jackson, Chairman of the West Riding Education Committee.

Photo of library today (2007):

burley_library_cardigan_road_-_geograph-org-uk_-_446101

RichTea [CC BY-SA 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)%5D, via Wikimedia Commons

Details:

Old photo of library (postcard):

Nothing in my collection yet

Visited?

Not yet

Web links:

Compton Road library

Brief description

The cost of this library was met by a grant from the Carnegie Trust. Built of brick with stone trim, the library is of similar layout to Bramley and Burley branches which were also built at this time. An adult lending area in the centre, children’s library to one side and a reading room on the other with glazed screens between the different areas.

Current status: Much was demolished, but what remains is part of the much bigger Compton Centre – which contains a library run by Leeds City Council (2016)

  • Year grant given (if known):
  • Amount of grant: £11,332
  • Year opened (and by who – if known): 16 March 1927.

Photo of library today (2008):

harehills_library_-_harehills_lane_-_geograph-org-uk_-_683431

Betty Longbottom [CC BY-SA 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)%5D, via Wikimedia Commons

Details:

Old photo of library (postcard):

Nothing in my collection yet

Visited?

Not yet

Web links:

Bramley library

Brief description

The cost of the library was defrayed by the Carnegie UK Trust.

Current status: Still open as a public library, run by Leeds City Council (2016)

  • Year grant given (if known):
  • Amount of grant:
  • Year opened (and by who – if known): 7 July 1927 by The Right Honourable The Earl of Elgin and Kincardine, C. M. G., Chairman of the Carnegie United Kingdom Trustees

Photo of library today (2011):

29558856480_7a17f1c4ff_z

Photo credit: Leeds libraries

Details:

Old photo of library (postcard):

Nothing in my collection yet

Visited?

Not yet

Web links:

  • Photo of the plaque which commemorates the opening ceremony – in the Leeds photo archive

Morley library

Brief description

Foundation stone was laid on 28th September 1905 by the Mayor, Councillor William Middlebrook.

Awarded Grade II listing in 1986

Current status: Still open as a public library, run by Leeds council (2016)

  • Year grant given (if known): 1903
  • Amount of grant: £6,170
  • Year opened (and by who – if known): 27 October 1906 by Sir Thomas Henry Hall Caine Esq. (see below – he was a Manx author )

Photo of library today (2011):

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Photo credit: Leeds libraries

Details:

Old photos of library (postcards):

yorkshire-leeds-morley-library

morley

Visited?

Not yet

Web links: