1905 - Carnegie Library - Windmill Street, Gravesend, Kent, UK
N 51° 26.532 E 000° 22.164
31U E 317186 N 5702283
This 1905 dated building was built as a library and is still used as such today. In recent years the library underwent complete refurbishment and was re-opened in August 2011.
Waymark Code: WMH0RG
Location: South East England, United Kingdom
Date Posted: 05/03/2013
Views: 4
Wikipedia tells us about Carnegie libraries of which this is one:
"A Carnegie library is a library built with money donated by Scottish-American businessman and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie. A total of 2,509 Carnegie libraries were built between 1883 and 1929, including some belonging to public and university library systems. 1,689 were built in the United States, 660 in Britain and Ireland, 125 in Canada, and others in Australia, New Zealand, Serbia, the Caribbean, Mauritius and Fiji.
Few towns that requested a grant and agreed to his terms were refused. When the last grant was made in 1919, there were 3,500 libraries in the United States, nearly half of them built with construction grants paid by Carnegie"
This building is Grade II listed with the entry at the English Heritage website telling us:
"Built 1905 and given to the Borough of Gravesend by Andrew Carnegie. 2 storeys brick with stone dressings. Consists of a centre and 2 flanking wings. The centre portion has a stone modillion cornice and 3 sashes in moulded architraves with glazing bars intact. The ground floor has 4 Tuscan half-columns with round-headed windows between. Plinth. The wings of 1 bay each have parapets with curved open pediments containing shields with the cartouche of the City of Gravesend. Pilasters with shields and wheat-ear drops on the capitals. 1 sash each with glazing bars set in moulded surrounds. Stringcourse between ground and 1st floor. The left side portion has a round-headed window with keystone and swag moulding. The right side portion has an open pedimented stone doorcase. This has pilasters with mermaid caryatids."
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