Public Library

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Detached gable-fronted redbrick and sandstone Tudorbethan former library, built c.1906, as a Carnegie Library to the designs of Watt & Tulloch. Irregular on plan facing east with an advanced principal gabled block and a stepped back gabled entrance bay, single-storey wings to both side elevations and a pair of returns. Sandstone carving by J.E. Winter. Library no longer in use.

Pitched terracotta tiled roofs with plain terracotta ridge tiles and set behind gables and dormers having splayed sandstone coping, sandstone finials to the front gables and cast-iron box hoppers and square-profile downpipes breaking through parapets to all lead-lined valleys. Redbrick walling laid in Flemish bond with splayed sandstone trim to projecting redbrick plinth course. Square-headed window openings with flush sandstone lintels and sandstone window frames with flush splayed sills.

Front elevation comprises a principal single-bay two-storey gable abutted by a large single-storey three-sided canted bay window and a smaller recessed gabled two-storey entrance bay to the right . The first floor has a continuous flush sandstone lintel course spanning the entire elevation having a cavetto string course filled with floral carvings and gargoyles projecting from the outer corncers. The first floor window has a five-light transomed and mullioned stone frame surmounted by a sandstone panel with bowtel surround and cornice framing raised lettering stating; ‘Belfast Public Library’. The sandstone parapet wall to the bay window has raised lettering stating; ‘Carnegie Branch / Oldpark Road.’ and string course, as per above. The entrance bay has a single four-light window to the first floor and a Tudor-headed door opening with an elaborate carved sandstone surround. Deeply set sandstone ashlar door surround with compound arch mouldings and compound colonettes on chamfered plinths. Tripartite door opening with blind trefoil-headed side panels, steel covered doors and a multi-pane overlight. Door opens onto bowed stone platform and two steps. Decoratively carved sandstone overpanel with raised central panel filled with a Belfast coat of arms stating; ‘Pro Tanto Quid Retribujamus’. Cavetto hood moulding filled with floral carvings frames entire composition terminating in label stops at impost level. Slender sidelights flank the doorcase formed in flush splayed sandstone surround and hood moulding. Replacement steel gates and handrail.

South side elevation is abutted by a single-storey wing, seven windows wide with a gabled central two-storey single-bay projection having a pyramidal roof and slate-hung octagonal plinth. Three wall-head dormers form the set back first floor with triple-light transomed and mullioned stone windows throughout having original steel windows to the first floor only.

Twin gabled rear elevation abutted by single-storey wing to the south and two-storey wing to the north, detailed as per above.

North side elevation is abutted by a two-storey gabled stairhall projection and a single-storey toilet block to the re-entrant angle. UPVC windows to the ground floor, original steel casement windows to the first floor.

Setting

Located on the west side of Oldpark Road on an elevated site. Overgrown yards to the rear and north elevations enclosed by tall redbrick walls.

Roof Terracotta tile
RWG Cast-iron
Walling Redbrick / sandstone
Windows Sandstone frames / steel casement / uPVC

Historical information

The Carnegie Library at Oldpark Road was built to designs by (Graeme) Watt & Tulloch and opened on 30th November 1906. The building is first shown captioned ‘Lib[rar]y’ on the fourth edition OS map of 1920 – 31.

Between 1897 and 1913 Andrew Carnegie promised over £170,000 to pay for the building of about 80 libraries in Ireland. Not all were built, some have been destroyed and sixty-two survive. (Grimes)

Carnegie emigrated from Scotland to America at the age of 13, his family’s income from hand loom weaving having fallen with the introduction of mechanisation. As a boy in Pittsburgh, Carnegie benefited from a library opened by a local philanthropist and was convinced that ‘there was no use to which money could be applied so productive of good to boys and girls’ as the founding of public libraries’. Later in life, Carnegie became extremely wealthy, firstly manufacturing railways and locomotives and later extending his interests into steel production. In 1881 he made his first gift of a public library to his home town of Dunfermline and in 1901 having sold his company he donated over $5 million to New York City for the construction of 65 branch libraries. In all he financed around 2,500 libraries in 10 countries, the large majority of these in the US, Canada, Great Britain and Ireland. Carnegie made some donations for other purposes, such as education, research and welfare but in Ireland he insisted that the provision he made was solely for libraries, although he did provide church organs. Eight of the surviving 62 Carnegie libraries are in Northern Ireland (the Carnegie library at Downpatrick has not survived). (Grimes)

The Oldpark Road library was the first of three libraries to be built by Belfast Corporation with a grant of £15,000 donated by Carnegie. Belfast Corporation had constructed a Central Library in 1888 under the provisions of the Libraries Act and by the turn into the twentieth century were considering the provision of branch libraries. A rise in the library rate was enacted in order to provide four branch libraries in north, south, east and west. The first purpose-built branch library opened in Ballymacarrett in 1903, chosen because of its high population density. By the time Ballymacarrett opened the library committee had applied to Carnegie for a grant to build the remaining three branch libraries. Belfast’s chief librarian, G H Elliott, visited Carnegie and his adviser Dr Hew Morrison several times before Carnegie granted £15,000 in 1902. Carnegie made his offer conditional on the raising of the library rate to pay for the maintenance of the new buildings and three sites had to be provided by the city. The money to purchase the land was obtained from the Corporation Gas Committee in 1903 but it was not until 1905 that the Corporation could report to Carnegie that they had obtained three sites, suitable land being much in demand. (Grimes)

The designs for the three libraries were procured by means of a competition confined to Belfast architects, the winners, Watt & Tulloch being selected by Sir Thomas Drew on the basis of the skilful adaptation of their designs to the irregularly-shaped sites. Watt & Tulloch were appointed architects for the three libraries on 1st February 1905 and work began on the library at Oldpark Road as soon as the contractors, Robert Corry Ltd were appointed. The cost was to be £3,623.10s.0d and the accommodation comprised a lending library, news room, staff workroom, newspaper filing room, attendant’s room and WC on the ground floor, with a juveniles’ room, magazine room and ladies’ room on the first floor. The news and reading rooms were opened to the public in November 1906 and the lending library was inaugurated in August 1907. (Grimes) Carved work was by J Edgar Winter, the leading architectural sculptor in Belfast at the time. (www.dia.ie) The Carnegie Library and yard first enters valuation records in 1909 but no valuation is recorded.

By the late 1990s the library service was being provided in the news room and the remainder of the building was used for recreational and community purposes. (Grimes) The library closed on 22nd June 2010 and the building is now vacant. (www.librariesni.net)

References:
Primary Sources

1. PRONI OS/6/1/60/4 OS Map Fourth Edition (1920-31)
2. PRONI VAL/12/B/43/C/1-31 Annual Revisions (1863-1905)
3. PRONI VAL/12/B/43/F/1-7 Annual Revisions (1905-1930)

Secondary Sources

1. Grimes, Brendan “Irish Carnegie Libraries, A Catalogue and Architectural History” Dublin, Irish Academic Press, 1998
2. www.librariesni.net

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
B. Proportion
C. Ornamentation
D. Plan Form
H-. Alterations detracting from building
I. Quality and survival of Interior

Criteria for listing: historic interest

X. Local Interest
V. Authorship

Evaluation

Detached gable-fronted redbrick and sandstone Tudorbethan former library, built c.1906, as a Carnegie Library to the designs of Watt & Tulloch. One of three libraries by this firm of architects built in a distinctly Tudor idiom. The library is a significant public building with detailing typical of the style and with much historic fabric surviving. Although now standing alone with its context largely demolished this is a good example of the type and of the work of a notable architectural practice who were involved with much civic architecture in the Province. Its origin as the first of the Carnegie Libraries to be built in Belfast is also of note.