Hindley Library And Museum

Hindley Library and Museum is a building constructed in 1886 by Thomas Worthington. It is made of brick with stone dressings and has slate roofs. The structure is two storeys high, with a basement and consists of six bays. The first bay, which serves as the entrance, projects and is topped with a pyramidal roof. The building features sill courses, string courses, a top cornice, and a parapet. The second to sixth bays are flanked by half-octagonal shafts capped with finials. The third, fourth, and fifth bays contain stone two-storey bay windows with recessed curved angles and double-chamfered-mullioned windows that have two transoms. The second and sixth bays have narrow windows with transoms at the ground floor. All windows are fitted with leaded glazing featuring rectangular quarries.

The first bay includes a round-headed entrance with a two-bay porch, supported by round arches on round piers, with paired arches at the centre. There are angle octagonal turrets and an arcaded balustrade above a frieze inscribed: "THE LEYLAND FREE LIBRARY AND MUSEUM 1886", with heraldic beasts supporting armorial bearings on the turrets. On the first floor, there are two narrow windows, each with a round tympanum and hood mould. The roof features a lantern stage with five lights on each side. The stone-coped brick basement area has a wall with an iron rail.

The left return of the building is similar, consisting of two bays. The first bay projects under a coped gable and features a two-storey canted bay window, while the second bay has a small window and a plaque at the ground floor, along with paired two-light windows that have two mullions and round tympana, complete with bosses and hood moulds on the first floor.

Inside, the first-floor room has an arch-braced canted roof, with the central section featuring moulded beams. At one end, there is a large bookcase adorned with decorative panels, a broken segmental pediment, and an armorial bearing (Leyland), along with a frieze inscribed "LEYLAND COLLECTION". An adjoining room also has moulded beams and a fireplace.