Bristol Central Library facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Bristol Central Library |
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The Library, with the Abbey Gatehouse on the left
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| General information | |
| Town or city | Bristol |
| Country | England |
| Coordinates | 51°27′08″N 2°36′09″W / 51.452155°N 2.602390°W |
| Completed | 1906 |
| Cost | £30,000 |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect | Charles Holden |
Bristol Central Library is a really old and important building in Bristol, England. It's where you can find the main collections of Bristol's public library. Imagine a place filled with tons of books and information!
This amazing library was built in 1906 by a famous architect named Charles Holden. His design was super important for a style of building called Edwardian Free Style architecture. It even influenced other buildings from that time! The library is so special that Historic England has given it a Grade I listed building status. This means it's a very important historic place that needs to be protected.
Building the Library
The story of the library began in 1899. A person named Vincent Stuckey Lean left a large sum of money, £50,000, in his will. This money was meant to build a new library for Bristol. The city needed to replace its old library on King Street.
To find the best design, an architecture competition was held. A company led by H. Percy Adams won the competition. The winning design was actually created by his assistant, Charles Holden. The new library cost £30,000 to build. It was constructed next to the historic Abbey Gatehouse. The library officially opened its doors in 1906.
Outside the Library
The library building looks different depending on which side you see. This is because the ground slopes downwards quite a bit. The back of the building has five levels, but the front only shows three.
The front of the building, facing north, mixes old and new styles. It combines Tudor Revival and Modern Movement designs. This was done to make it fit in nicely with the old Abbey Gatehouse next door.
The back and east sides of the building look simpler. They have tall features like towers and flat supports called buttresses. These features help frame the large size of the building. Charles Holden's way of designing big buildings was very admired. He was even compared to another famous architect, Charles Rennie Mackintosh.
In 1967, a new part was added to the west side of the library. It was designed to match the original building's style.
Inside the Library
The inside of the library feels very different from the outside. It uses a style called Neoclassical. This means it has many round-arched ceilings, known as vaulting.
When you enter, you step into a special entrance hall. This hall has beautiful vaulted ceilings covered in shiny turquoise glass mosaic. Different kinds of marble are used for the floors and walls in the entrance hall. You'll also see marble on the main staircase.
The ground floor, near the entrance, holds the Lending Library. This is where you can borrow books. Above it is the Reference Library Reading Room. This big room covers the first floor and has two levels of balconies. Its ceiling is a long, rounded tunnel shape, with glass at the top to let in light.
Next to the Reading Room is the Bristol Room. This room has old furniture and decorations from the original library on King Street. One special piece is a fancy oak fireplace decoration. It was carved by a famous artist named Grinling Gibbons.
Because the building is so large, it needed lots of natural light. Charles Holden used many skylights, glass screens, and even glass panels in the roof and floors. This helped light up the whole inside of the library.
See also
- Grade I listed buildings in Bristol
