Eccles Central Library

ECCLES CHURCH STREET SJ 79 NE (south side) 4/5 Eccles Central - Library G.V. II Public library. 1907 with single-storey additions of 1971. By Edward Potts. Brick with terra-cotta dressings and stone slate roof. 4 bays and 2 storeys with a fifth bay set back to right and 1971 additions to rear and left. Mixed Renaissance style. Double-doors in bay 2 with fanlight and an open pediment on Ionic 3/4 columns surrounding a coat of arms. Wide flat pilasters rise to either side to support an enriched cornice and parapet with scrolled coping and enriched panels. Tripartite windows below semi-circular arches with bold radiating voussoirs. Paired first floor windows separated by Ionic columns. An elaborate canted bay window forms a prominent feature with a swag frieze at first floor level and an octagonal belvedere with domed roof set back behind a balustrade. Bay 5, the right return, and rear, all employ similar details but to a lesser degree. The interior consists of a large 2-storey hall with full-height round-arched arcades on each side (2 sides are blind) in front of a first floor-level walkway. Vaulted ceiling with clerestory. Stained glass and some original timber and iron fittings. C20 additions are not of special interest.

Listing NGR: SJ7758098512