‘Central Library must remain where it belongs’

Bristol Central Library remains the best location in our city for delivering a modern library service.

This is because of the flexibility and adaptability of the original building and because of regular, publicly-funded improvements carried out over several generations.

The facilities and functionality of the present Central Library could only be replicated at another location at enormous cost.

The magnificent Charles Holden building with its splendid extension has served library users in this city well, and with responsible stewardship and appropriate investment it can continue to do so.

Holden’s building was opened in 1906 and is located among some of the most interesting and historic buildings in Bristol including the Lord Mayor’s Chapel, City Hall, the Cathedral and the Norman abbey gatehouse.

Together with these and other neighbouring buildings, Central Library forms the perimeter of the attractive College Green.

The design of the building has been much praised by architectural critics and historians for its beauty, originality, and for its respect for the historic buildings to which it is adjacent.

Bristol Central Library and Bristol Cathedral – photo: Betty Woolerton

In 2006, Bristol City Council was proud to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the opening of Central Library.

A range of events was organised, including guided tours allowing the public to see parts of the library usually closed to them.

A detailed description of the layout and history of the library was posted on the council’s website, and the public were able to purchase what were described as “distinctive memorabilia” produced on behalf the council.

To celebrate the anniversary of the day of opening on June 20 , there was an evening of music and entertainment at which guests were welcomed by staff dressed in costumes from the previous 100 years. During the event, the lord mayor of Bristol cut the Central Library centennial cake.

The council also commissioned an excellent book, Bristol Central Library and Charles Holden, a history and guide from Bristol librarian and historian, Anthony Beeson, who died in 2022.

Shadow local government minister Stephen Morgan (centre) was given a tour of Central Library during a visit to the city in 2019, during which he heaped praise on mayor Marvin Rees for keeping all of Bristol’s libraries open – photo: Labour Party

But the present Central Library building is far more than a heritage heirloom. Because of the ingenuity and adaptability of the original design, enlightened stewardship by previous city administrations, and regular public investment, it remains a first-class facility for the delivery of a modern library service.

The original building takes advantage of its sloping site to provide five floors on the south side, compared with three on the north, thus maximising internal storage space. The height of the reading room allows additional book storage in two tiers of galleries.

The abundance of space in the building is demonstrated by the fact that in 2015, the council felt able to lease two basement floors to Cathedral Primary School, generating useful rental income for council coffers.

Central Library’s reading room – photo: Martin Booth

At first the public did not have access to the lending collection, but had to request books from a librarian. Open access to the lending collection was introduced in 1923 and in 1956 the council spent £8,500 (£271,465 at today’s prices) to increase the floor space of the lending collection and the number of books on display.

In 1967, the area of the library was substantially increased with the opening of the western extension. Although the original plans for the extension had to be scaled back to save money, the cost was £194,000 (£4.5m today).

Like the original Holden building, the extension takes advantage of the sloping site and has two storeys on the Deanery Road side and four storeys at the back. The design of the extension was praised by the Royal Fine Art Commission and Sir Nikolaus Pevsner for blending well with Holden’s building.

Originally the extension could only be accessed through the Holden building, but in 2000 advantage was taken of the need to remove asbestos to create a western entrance with a disabled ramp allowing wheelchair access to both public floors of the library. The total cost of this project was £1.6m.

A new ramp was added to Central Library’s western entrance in 2000 – photo: Martin Booth

The extension has been vital in allowing continuing expansion and modernisation of the services offered by the library.

The ground floor of the extension was originally intended for the Library of Science & Industrial Technology. For a while it housed the fine arts library. It now contains the children’s library and hosts a regional hub for the British Library’s Business & Intellectual Property Centre (BIPC) network.

In 2021, the council was awarded £500,000 by the British Library to establish this hub at the Central Library, with three smaller hubs at branch libraries in the city.

The designers of the hub say that it was their aim for it “to be reminiscent of innovative and entrepreneurial environments, rather than a traditional library setting”.

Those who visit it will have no difficulty in agreeing that they have achieved this. There are public-access computers, modern furniture, and pods in which to hold private meetings.

The Business & Intellectual Property Centre at Bristol Central Library was set up to help people start and grow small businesses – photo: Bristol City Council

In 2001, a £600,000 grant from the government’s New Opportunity Fund allowed Central Library to install 40 public-access computers, the first library in the South West to do so. The library now has three rooms with public access computers.

For over 60 years after its opening the library had no public toilets. Readers of an earlier generation can remember having to leave the library to use the public toilet in College Square, or to cross Deanery Road to use the toilets in the City Planning Department in the former Cabot House (now student accommodation)

This inconvenience was complained of in letters and articles in the Evening Post. Now the library has excellent modern toilets, including a disabled toilet, and the ladies’ toilet has baby-changing facilities.

In 1956 a letter to the Evening Post requested the provision of a room where people spending several hours in the library could purchase coffee and biscuits.

It took the best part of 50 years before this request was granted, but in 2001 a cafe was opened in the library. It is now located near the BIPC hub.

The research room at Central Library includes fittings from the original King Street library – photo: Martin Booth

In 2004, the lending library was refurbished at a cost of £320,000. Access for disabled users was improved by the installation of a wheelchair ramp, fully flexible low-level shelving, and accessible counters. An improved lighting system was also installed.

In 2014 the original chandeliers in the Reading Room were replaced with modern, energy-efficient LED luminaires.

In March 2022, the council proudly announced that it had been awarded a grant from Arts Council England of £117,650 to make improvements to the Central Library Reading Room, including the creation of 96 modernised study spaces with energy-efficient lighting and electronic device charging points.

The money would also be used to upgrade the adjacent marble exhibition hall in the hope of increasing revenue from lettings of the space.

It is quite inexplicable that only eight months later, the council leadership should announce, as part of the 2023-2024 budget consultation, that it was considering moving Central Library and using the building for something else. If that happens, this grant will be wasted.

It has been suggested the present Central Library is too expensive to heat. However, the council’s own Library Strategy 2020-24 shows that in 2019-20 premises accounted for five per cent of the costs of the library service, the lowest of the four categories represented, as compared with 76 per cent by staff.

Yes, there has been a huge recent spike in energy costs, which is making everyone’s life difficult. But it would be foolish to make a long-term, irreversible decision merely because of immediate, possibly short-term, circumstances.

Energy-efficient lighting has already been installed in the library, and the council should continue to explore the possibility of additional energy efficiency measures in order to keep Central Library where it belongs.

Sean O’Neill is a retired local government official who lives in Southmead

Main photo: Martin Booth

Read next:

• Central Library could move as part of council cuts
• ‘Bristol City Council does not have the right to sell off Central Library’
• Petition launched to save Central Library
• ‘Moving Central Library would be an act of violence’

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