Barry Council Office and Library
Barry Council Office and Library is a local government building and public library located in King's Square, Barry, Wales.
History
The original building housed the town hall (opened 1908) and Carnegie library (opened 1906).[1] The architects were C.E. Hutchinson and E. Harding Payne of London, who won an architectural competition to design the building, in 1903. A further expansion to the rear of the new building was planned, but never executed.[2]
The first lending library in Barry was opened in 1890, at 144 Holton Road. It later moved to a three-storey house on the Square, with the ground floor used as a reading room, the lending library on the second floor and caretaker's rooms on the top floor.[1] In 1903 the Council applied to the Andrew Carnegie Trust for a grant to enable a public library to be built. A grant of £8,000 was awarded, and the library was opened by the Earl of Plymouth on 1 March 1906.[1]
21st century
The library was moved to the Leisure Centre in 2001, to allow the refurbishment of the Town Hall and Library buildings.[1] In 2003 the building was restored[3] and a new wing was provided for the library. The new library was opened on 4 January 2007.[4] This was the first new county library to be opened in Wales for 10 years.
The redevelopment of the former town hall building cost £371,000, £124,000 more than had been set aside, the increased cost sparked an inquiry in February 2008.[5]
References
- ^ a b c d "BARRY TOWN HALL & LIBRARY". Tom Clemett's History of Barry. Archived from the original on 2008-08-28.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ "FROM THE ARCHIVES: Barry's town hall remains unfinished", Barry and District News, 11 May 2017. Retrieved 2017-08-15.
- ^ Restoration of Barry Town Hall, John Weaver Contractors. Retrieved 2017-08-15.
- ^ "Barry Library". Vale of Glamorgan.
- ^ Peter Collins (2008-02-15). "Inquiry into cost of new Barry library". South Wales Echo.