Swiss Cottage Library

Add links
Coordinates: 51°32′32″N 0°10′24″W / 51.54235°N 0.17327°W / 51.54235; -0.17327
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Isochrone (talk | contribs) at 21:52, 30 November 2022 (→‎Architecture: rephrase more eloquently). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Swiss Cottage Library
A bird's eye photo shows the length of Swiss Cottage library, a long, pill like structure
Clockwise from top: north of the library; ground floor of the reference library; length as viewed from Finchley Road
Map
51°32′32″N 0°10′24″W / 51.54235°N 0.17327°W / 51.54235; -0.17327
Typepublic library
EstablishedNovember 10, 1964; 59 years ago (1964-11-10)
Architect(s)Basil Spence
Service areaLondon Borough of Camden
Branch ofCamden Libraries
Collection
Size128,650 Edit this on Wikidata
Access and use
Population served270,029 (2019)
Other information
Websitewww.camden.gov.uk/swiss-cottage-library

Swiss Cottage Library is the central library in the public library service of the London Borough of Camden, housed in an architectural landmark building in Avenue Road designed by Sir Basil Spence. It has been Grade II Listed since 1997.

Background

Finchley Road Library as published in a 1900 Architecture magazine[1]

The Metropolitan Borough of Hampstead's first library, Kilburn Library was opened in 1894. Later in 1897, the borough's first central library was established: Finchley Road Central Library. Then known as Hampstead Central Library, this became Camden Arts Centre in 1965.[2][3] By the 1950s the Central Library had served the same role since its establishment and was in need of expansion.[4] After a refurbishment, the library was severely damaged during the Blitz in World War II,[5] leaving it with only half the required capacity.[2] The Borough desperately needing space for books and incoroporated a new library into its plans for a new civic centre to house its headquarters and other services.[4] The Library Association reported in 1959 that, whilst hardly any new public library buildings had been built, library usage has risen by 75% since 1939, with most buildings being over 50 years old.[6] Post-war, the British government had prioritised housing and education, resulting in archaic building regulations remaining unamended,[7] and many libraries being built for fewer users than needed.[6] With additional damage and destruction to other libraries, Hampstead lacked the infrastructure needed for storing and cataloguing media.[5]

History

Founding

Swiss Cottage Library was constructed as part of the Swiss Cottage Centre development by the Metropolitan Borough of Hampstead in the 1950s.[8] In 1959, British architect Sir Basil Spence created a scheme for the Civic Centre, including a library and Swiss Cottage Sports Centre.[9] The dissolving of the Metropolitan Borough of Hampstead into the larger London Borough of Camden as part of the London Government Act 1963 brought complications to the scheme, with Camden Council instead wanting to focus on its Euston Road developments;[8] Spence described the fate of the project as being "in the lap of the Gods".[10] As Hampstead's final major infrastructure project, the original masterplan was downgraded to simply include a sports centre and library. Furthermore, the library, which was originally intended to be built next to Winchester Road, was instead moved to be beside Avenue Road.[2] Queen Elizabeth II opened the library as Hampstead Public Library on the 10 November 1964,[11] the same week in which she opened a library for the University of Sussex, also designed by Basil Spence.[12] On opening, the library superseded Finchley Road Library as Hampstead's Central Library.[6] Present at the opening were Councillor Luigi Carlo Denza, then Mayor of Hampstead, Basil Spence and Sir Edwin McAlpine, acting head of the library's construction firm at the time.[13]

Construction

Construction was undertaken by McAlpine & Sons and accelerated by the use of a 164 feet (50 m) P200 Pingon tower crane, the tallest in the UK at the time.[13] Hampstead's mayor got into a bulldozer on the first day of construction to shovel the first pile of earth. Due to heavy snow which meant additional protection was needed for the concrete, as well as building strikes, construction was delayed but eventually finished in 1964.[13]

Expansion

Camden Council announced in the late 1990s that it intended to regenerate Swiss Cottage Centre, and in 2003 refurbished Swiss Cottage Library to include a children's library, accessibility facilities[8] and the removal of asbestos.[14] The plan, including the demolition of Swiss Cottage Sports Centre and construction of Swiss Cottage Leisure Centre, designed by Sir Terry Farrell, was finished in 2007 at a cost of £85 million.[8] Camden originally planned to demolish the library with Swiss Cottage Sports Centre, but was forced to instead refurbish it as a result of English Heritage designating it with a Grade II listing in December 1997.[15][16] Following the library's refurbishment, the Council acknowledged that demolotion "would have been a mistake".[17] Later, Camden Council sued developers John McAslan & Partners for £500,000 as a result of delays in supply and a cost increase in the contract by £1.5 million. McAslan defended the delays, claiming "It was less than 10% late, which is nothing", and commenting on additional removals needing to be carried out.[18]

Architecture

"Fins" on the exterior of the library

Built in the Modernist style of the 1960s, similar to other contemporary civic buildings, Spence took from the vast open-space and minimalism of Scandinavian libraries,[6] visiting Scandinavia to take notes on the designs.[10] The library measures 250 feet (76 m) by 75 feet (23 m) with three stories.[12]

Exterior

The exterior of the library features 238 narrow 2-tonne "fins" made from Portland stone designed to control light whilst also serving to prevent noise pollution.[10] These fins help prevent strong sunlight from affecting reading inside,[12] and also resemble the leaves of a book.[11]

Commentary

The library's refurbishment was acclaimed by English Heritage as "a success in both architectural and heritage terms".[17] Historic England also commented on the refurbishment, remarking that the library was one of the few post-war libraries that has been "sensitively refurbished".[7]. Speaking to thousands of people at its opening, the Queen said to Spence that the library was "really wonderful" and that Hampstead was "so interesting".[19] She heralded the specialised facilities available for readers in the library as well as accessibility measures for the disabled.[20]

Notes

  1. ^ "Illustrations". The American Architect and Building News. Vol. 68, no. 1275. Open Court Publishing Co. 2 June 1900 – via the Internet Archive.
  2. ^ a b c Drake, Robert (May 2013). Notes on Swiss Cottage Library (Report). C20 Society.
  3. ^ Gorman, Michael (8 June 2011). Broken Pieces: A Library Life, 1941-1978. American Library Association. p. 52. ISBN 978-0-8389-1104-4.
  4. ^ a b Hampstead Civic Centre: Stage 1 (Report). Metropolitan Borough of Hampstead, The Development Committee. 1950s.
  5. ^ a b Lee, A. E. (1977). Wade, Christopher (ed.). "Saved by Two Minutes". Camden History Review. 5. Camden History Society: 27.
  6. ^ a b c d Hayes, David, ed. (2014). "The design of Swiss Cottage Library". Camden History Review. 38. Camden History Society: 10–14.
  7. ^ a b Harwood, Elain (2016). The English Public Library 1945-85. Historic England. pp. 3, 13. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
  8. ^ a b c d Denford, Steven (2009). The Hampstead Book: The A-Z of Its History and People. Historical Publications. pp. 119–120. ISBN 978-1905286331.
  9. ^ Black, Alistair (2017). Hampstead Central Library: into the light (1st ed.). Routledge. p. 172. doi:10.4324/9781315592336. ISBN 9781315592336. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
  10. ^ a b c Ham & High 1964a, p. 5.
  11. ^ a b Wade, Christopher (2009). Streets of Belsize. Camden Historical Society. p. 39. ISBN 978-0904491777.
  12. ^ a b c Berriman, Sidney George; Harrison, Kenneth Cecil (1966). British Public Library Buildings. Grafton Books. p. 64. OCLC 251753182.
  13. ^ a b c "Hampstead Civic Centre". The Green Man [magazine of McAlpine & Sons, developers]. January 1965. pp. 1–5.
  14. ^ "First phase of refurbished Swiss Cottage Central Library opens Wednesday 6 November". London Borough of Camden. 25 October 2003.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  15. ^ Harwood, Elain (2000). England : a guide to past-war listed buildings. Ellipsis. p. 498. ISBN 978-1-84166-037-0.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  16. ^ Historic England (2 December 1997). "Swiss Cottage Library (Grade II) (1272259)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 1 May 2021.
  17. ^ a b "Tome Capsule". RIBA Journal: 24–32. August 2003.
  18. ^ "McAslan sued over library". Building Design. 24 February 2006. ProQuest 274460484. Retrieved 10 September 2022 – via ProQuest.
  19. ^ Ham & High 1964a, p. 1.
  20. ^ Ham & High 1964a, p. 2.

References

  • "The Queen's Comment: It's Wonderful: Royal opening of new baths and library". Hampstead & Highgate Express. No. 5425. 13 November 1964a.

External links

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Swiss_Cottage_Library&oldid=1124857042"