Holborn
Library, London
Architect
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Sydney Cook - Holborn
Borough Council Architect's Department
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Date
Built
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Opened 1960
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Location
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Theobalds Road
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Description
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In an article published on the Twentieth
Century Society website in July of 2013, by
Susannah Charlton, the Holborn Library was
selected as "Building of the Month". The
article described it as, "... a
milestone in the history of the modern
public library, both as the first large,
multi-functional, post-war library in
London and for its pioneering
architecture, with an elegant façade,
striking entrance canopy and influential
internal planning."
"The four-storey building has a reinforced
concrete-frame and a non-load-bearing
façade on Theobalds Road in narrow russet
brick with a generous expanse of
metal-framed glazing, which looks
particularly striking when lit up at
night. In their listing report of 2010 (to
which I am much indebted) English Heritage
note that ‘Holborn was the first library
to exploit the potential of a large area
of glazing to create a modern image for
the public library, something which became
standard in library design afterwards’."
As the plaque above the entrance doors
records, the building was opened by Her
Majesty Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother on
the 22nd of November 1960. When it
opened, the Times Educational Supplement
described it as, "... a bold and
imaginative response to the problems of
planning a modern central library".
"The large ground-floor
reading room, with its Swedish-inspired
cantilevered mezzanine balcony, is flooded
with light from the glazed façade."
In March of 2016 the
E-Architectr.co.uk website ran a story
entitled "New Library for Holborn -
Award-winning developer, U+I, to work
with Camden Council to create a new
library for Holborn". Apparerntly,
the plan is to redevelop the library and
the adjacent Cockpit Yard to, "....
provide brand new employment studio
spaces, a fully remodelled library and
local studies archive facility, and
new public spaces so that this becomes
a busy, creative hub for the
community. The redevelopment will also
deliver 105 new homes including new
affordable units." As
of March 2017 there was no evidence that
this plan has been implemented.
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