News / Sea Mills
Sea Mills Library celebrates its 90th year
More than 300 people, including customers, ex-locals, current and former staff, have visited Sea Mills library to commemorate its 90th birthday.
The much-valued meeting place is the only local community space available in the neighbourhood, aside from the churches, since the demise of Sea Mills Community Centre.
The library first opened in 1934 and, like many others, has been threatened with closure in recent years amid numerous cuts to public services budgets.
is needed now More than ever
Despite this, it is still standing strong to mark its 90th birthday in style.
Library volunteer Kristen Grayewski shares photographs with Michael Allsopp – photo: Mary Milton
Guest of honour was Michael Allsopp, 93, who had travelled from near Oxford with his daughter to be at the event. Michael’s attachment to Sea Mills goes back a long way. In 1927, his parents became the first residents of a brand new house in Sunny Hill, opposite the library.
Michael himself was born in the house in 1930 and remembers seeing the library being built.
“I spent more time in the library than at school,” says Michael. He remembers the librarian, Miss Stare, being very strict. Children had to stay in the children’s area and dared not try and sneak into the adult’s area of the library.
Michael lived in Sea Mills during World War Two, when American soldiers had their camp nearby on Shirehampton golf course. The adult section of the library carried the London Illustrated News, which included wartime pictures that he and his friends longed to look at.
The library is far more relaxed and social nowadays. The children’s corner is still on the left as you enter, just where Michael remembers it. Some of the original furniture and fittings remain, but so much else has changed.
Its birthday was celebrated with cake, non-alcoholic bubbly and with a level of noise that would no doubt have appalled Miss Stare. She might have found the enthusiastic singing of “happy birthday Sea Mills library” somewhat surreal, and the sound of 17 children jubilantly raking through plastic Lego bricks would surely not have been welcome in her time.
Ravi and Aarav Radiyala surrounded by fellow Lego builders, Lucy Riddell, Chris and Ollie Fellows and Rory Foster – photo: Mary Milton
Today the library is a vital place for people to meet, make new friends and maintain social connections.
Ravi Radiyala runs the weekly lego club and his son, Aarav, is an enthusiastic participant. The family moved from Bangalore two years ago and Aarav had been reluctant to move but changed his mind when his dad told him Legoland was only two hours away from Bristol.
They now both share their love of Lego with other local children and their parents. The group relies on donations of Lego and has recently benefited from a large contribution from a local loft clearout.
Nesha Davidson-Birch and Jo Davidson show off their family photo album – photo: Mary Milton
The day featured memories and photographs contributed by local people. Nesha Davidson-Birch and her mother, Jo Davidson, brought along a treasured family photo album which was much admired by visitors. It had been made by one of Jo’s aunts as a gift to another, showing their life in Sea Mills. Nesha’s great-grandparents were first residents in Sea Mills and she now lives in the suburb herself.
Artwork capturing 90th birthday ‘Books Aloud’ reading group – image: Joff Winterhart
Some people took the day as an opportunity to become members of the library and borrow a few books. Others were able to try out new activities. Jean Newman ran a taster session of her ‘Books Aloud’ group. Her regular group attracts a number of mostly retired people who read books together and, those that want to, take turns reading aloud. Artist Joff Winterhart was also on hand to capture the event, creating some wonderful artworks which are now displayed in the library.
Mary Milton is reporting on Sea Mills as part of Bristol24/7’s community reporter scheme, a project which aims to tell stories from areas of Bristol traditionally under-served by the mainstream media
Main photo: Kristen Grayewski
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