Sefton Park Library, including boundary railings and gates

Sefton Park Library, including boundary railings and gates

Library, 1911, designed by Thomas Shelmerdine, Liverpool Corporation Surveyor. The building is constructed in ashlar and roughcast with half-timberwork above on the upper floors, substantial brick chimneystacks, tiled roof, and cast-iron rainwater goods. It is built in the Tudor Revival style.

The library has a squat T-shaped plan centred on a large double-height hall (the lending library) with side aisles and a mezzanine gallery, with offices located towards the front. The building sits on a sandstone ashlar plinth surrounded by fairly extensive lawned grounds. A single-storey extension in blue brick was added to the south-east side in the 1960s and is excluded from the listing. The building is set upon a sandstone ashlar plinth. The roughcast sections incorporate individual raised quoin stones at the corners, and ground-floor windows have quoined ashlar surrounds. All window frames are original timber multipaned casements, and the rainwater goods feature hoppers decorated with relief rose motifs.

The south-west front elevation facing Aigburth Road comprises three bays with a central projecting gabled bay forming the south-west gable end of the central hall. This bay displays close-studding half-timberwork above a tall stone plinth with decorative patterned timberwork to the gable apex. The main entrance at ground-floor centre consists of timber double doors with multipaned glazed upper-lights beneath a flat hood supported by three scrolled cast-iron brackets. The doorway is flanked by two two-light windows, with a large ten-light window above at centre. The entrance projection's side returns continue the half-timberwork. Set back to each side are the north-west return walls of two gabled bays, each with tall diagonally-set brick chimneystacks rising above. The ground floor is roughcast with a much lower ashlar plinth, with half-timberwork confined to the first-floor level, which jetties out slightly.

The north-west elevation comprises five bays with a roughcast ground floor and half-timbered upper floor that jetties out slightly, containing windows lighting the mezzanine gallery and offices. To the far right is a gabled bay projecting slightly forward with single-light and three-light windows to the ground floor, replicated on the upper floor. The three bays to the far left possess the same window arrangement, while the fourth bay has a single-light window on each floor.

The south-east elevation is identically styled to the north-west elevation, but with the addition of a circa 1960s flat-roofed single-storey blue-brick extension attached in front of the gabled bay to the far left, which resulted in the loss of a small flat-roofed porch shown in historic photographs. This extension is excluded from the listing.

The rear north-east elevation consists of three wide gabled bays, the central one projecting forward slightly and identically styled to the main entrance projection. This central bay forms the north-east gable end of the central hall, with a wide five-light window replacing the main entrance doorway. The two flanking bays are identically styled to each other with roughcast ground floors and half-timberwork to the upper floor, which jetties out slightly. Three-light windows exist to both floor levels.

Internally, the library has a wide entrance vestibule with two sets of double doors providing access into the main central hall. The entrance vestibule features exposed ceiling beams, a dentil cornice, and a stone tile floor. Attached to the south-east wall is a Celtic Art Nouveau-style repousse copper panel commemorating the opening of the library by J A Hodel, with a cast-iron radiator below. Cast-iron radiators are found throughout the building. Set to the centre of the north-east wall is a window flanked by wide doorways with classical surrounds topped by dentil cornices and containing timber double doors styled like the main entrance with multipaned glazed upper panels.

The main lending-library hall is a large double-height space with a dentil cornice and a roof structure composed of seven arched-braced roof trusses, the top sections of which are concealed by the ceiling. Clerestory-style windows provide additional light. The hall has two side aisles separated from the main central space by a series of columns with Ionic-style bases set upon tall panelled plinths. A parquet floor possibly survives underneath later coverings on the ground floor, though this is unconfirmed. Wrapping around the entire space, including over the entrance vestibule, is a mezzanine gallery fronted by a simple Art Nouveau-style painted cast-iron balustrade. The gallery has floorboard floors at the south-west end and a metal mesh-style walkway to the side aisles and north-east end. Lining the gallery walls are original built-in bookcases, now largely hidden behind later plywood coverings except at the south-western end.

Set to the south-west end of the hall on both ground-floor and gallery levels are offices and toilets accessed through original three-panel doors and panelled doors with small square glazed upper lights. Both offices on the north-west side contain original built-in cupboards and timber fire surrounds; that on the first floor also retains its original green glazed-tile cheeks. An original telephone booth survives on the north-west side of the ground floor and is now used to house the building's CCTV system. Two cast-iron spiral stairs provide access up to the mezzanine gallery and offices; that to the south-east side also provides access into the basement, which contains a modern boiler. A small children's department, originally located in the south corner of the ground floor with its own side entrance porch, has since been opened up and incorporated into the 1960s extension attached to the south-east side.

The library and its grounds are enclosed to the south-west, north-west, and north-east sides by painted cast-iron railings with intermediary scroll finials. Forming part of the boundary railings and aligned in front of the south-west main entrance is an entrance archway with scroll decoration, open-work piers topped by decorative finials, tall gates, and a central lantern displaying the words 'LENDING LIBRARY'. The south-west section of railings and entrance archway have been moved backwards from their original location following the widening of Aigburth Road in the mid-twentieth century. Later sections of plainer railings enclose the immediate environs of the library in places.