Old Borough Library, Stafford

Old Borough Library, Stafford

The former borough library of Stafford, originally known as the 'New Free Library', was designed by the Liverpool architects Briggs, Wolstenholme and Thornely in 1912. The building is constructed of red brick laid in Garden-wall bond with ashlar dressings and a slate and felt roof.

The library is positioned on an island site known as 'The Green', bounded by Newport Road, Lichfield Road and Bailey Street, with its principal entrance facing north towards Bridge Street. The building comprises two storeys and a basement. The original structure is V-shaped in plan, with the entrance hall and staircase positioned at the flattened apex. Reading rooms occupy the ground floor, while the lecture room and museum room are situated at first floor level along the angled flanks. The central ground floor area contains the hall for the former issue desk and book stacks.

The north front is slightly concave with three bays. The entrance features a projecting semi-circular porch with two fluted Tuscan columns and similar pilasters to either side. The porch entablature displays triglyphs and paterae, above which rises a semi-domed roof with a pair of putti at the apex holding a crown, shield and swags. The glazed double doors have lattice-patterned glazing bars, flanked by panelled sections inscribed 'NOTICES'. The top of the wall carries a plain entablature continuing around the building, with a deep stone band featuring a pierced balustrade rising at the centre above the cornice. A wheelchair ramp has been added to the right of the porch.

The north-eastern flank facing Lichfield Street comprises six symmetrical bays with four projecting bays to their centre. Ground-floor windows have stone surrounds with aprons and aedicular surrounds with original margin glazing. Above the four central bays is a deep cornice and stone panel inscribed 'PUBLIC FREE LIBRARY', above which rises a parapet with lattice balustrade. The two recessed bays on either side have a blocking course instead of a parapet, with first floor windows. To the left is a further original recessed bay without entablature.

The west face onto Bailey Street has four bays at its centre flanked by recessed bays, treated more simply than the north-east flank but following essentially the same design. Windows have margin glazing and heads of gauged brick. The recessed bay at left contains three staircase lights: a blank window at ground floor level, a short rectangular mezzanine window above, and an oval light at entablature level.

The entrance hall contains a staircase to its western side rising in three flights to the first floor, featuring a metal balustrade with lattice pattern and wooden handrail. The foundation stone on the east wall records that it was laid by the Mayor of Stafford, Councillor Miller, in February 1913. The central ground floor area is trapezoid in plan, lit by two circular skylights. At the wider southern end are two Tuscan columns, with original glazed hardwood screens to either side divided by evenly-spaced square pilasters. Doors in these screens lead to the reading rooms, one of which has fitted bookcases to its southern end. Ceilings feature panels bordered by reed and ribbon decoration, and a fireplace with a Neo-classical grate stands at the southern end of the eastern rooms. A cast metal spiral staircase is positioned at the western corner of the original building.

The first floor has a lobby at the stairhead with pilasters to the walls. The western room, marked 'LECTURE HALL' above its door, has a stage with panelled front at its southern end, approached by a small winder staircase. The ceiling is a segmental barrel vault with panels to the centre and skylights to the sides. Above the stage is a coat of arms including the Stafford knot. A high dado rail has vertical planking below it, possibly relating to the room's secondary function as a 'CHILDREN'S ROOM'. The eastern room on this floor is essentially identical in design but without the stage, marked 'ART GALLERY' above its door, presumably reflecting changes made in the 1930s, and was probably previously the exhibition room for the Wragge collection.

An extension of approximately 1962 by the borough architect, which extends the space of the central area and supplies gallery rooms along Lichfield Road, is excluded from the listing as it is not of special architectural or historic interest.