In October 1966 the Leeds City Engineers determined the structure of the Central Library in the Municipal Buildings, in particular the load-carrying beams, were not strong enough to carry the weight imposed by the Reference stock. Within weeks 80,000 volumes were moved from all stack rooms and gallery and stacked upon the library basement floors…
Category: Leeds Central Library
Take a Heritage Tour of the Central Library
Have you ever wanted to know more about the heritage of our fabulous Central Library building or fancied looking behind the scenes? We are now offering bookable heritage tours around the building showing you how it has changed over the years and letting you see parts not usually accessible to the public. To whet your…
The Leeds Tapestry
During September this year Leeds Central Library had a visit from two year 4 classes from Farsley Springbank Primary School. They came to Central Library to see the Leeds Tapestries, which are housed on the 1st floor in the corridor between the Art Library and the Music Library. The Children’s Librarian spoke to the groups…
George Corson, leaving his mark on Leeds
Today we bring you the architect and designer of our 1884 Municipal Buildings, George Corson. Born in Dumfries, Scotland, George like his older brother William, trained under Scottish architect Walter Newall. George followed his brother to Leeds, where on the 1851 census aged 21 and 28 they are registered as living at Number 21 Lyddon…
Celebrating 80 years of the Children’s Library
This year is the 80th year that the children of Leeds have had a ground floor library at Leeds Central Library. Until then the junior stock was part of the lending stock that was housed on the second floor, where the Art Library is today. In 1934 the Central Library had a refurbishment and the…
Doorways to Another World
Title quote from writer Michael Sims When your building is 130 years old covering five floors you end up with many doors leading to many different places. Doors are easy to miss, they are never your focus but an object that needs to be gotten past on route to your destination. Today we have stopped…
Leeds Central Library Tiled Hall
The Municipal Buildings opened April 17th 1884 by Mayor, Alderman Edwin Woodhouse, after a competition was held to design them. It was won by George Corson, whose plans included dividing the buildings into the ‘business’ side, which fronted on to Calverley Street, and the ‘popular’ side which led on to Centenary Street, now the…
Lights, Camera, Action…Libraries
You could be forgiven for thinking you’d seen a ghost roaming the corridors of Leeds Central Library today, however the dapper gentlemen in bowler hats and ladies in bustles walking down the stairs were actors filming a new adaptation of Vera Brittain’s ‘Testament of Youth’. This first instalment of Brittain’s memoirs covers the period of…
