Keats Community Library

A combined library and museum built in 1931 to designs drawn up in 1930 by architect W Sydney Trent (Associate of the Royal Institute of British Architects). The building was constructed to serve both as a lending library and as a museum for the Keats Memorial Library, a collection compiled by Sir Charles Dilke and donated to the borough in 1911.

Materials and Construction

The walls are rendered and painted, probably over brick. The hipped roof is covered in slate with a pyramidal glass skylight positioned over the central room of the library.

Plan and Layout

The building has a rectangular plan of one storey with a basement, aligned north to south. A corridor runs the length of the building with three rooms originally leading off to the east. The northernmost room was originally the Keats Museum, the central room served as the lending room, and the southern room functioned as the reading room. The original partition between the lending room and reading room has been removed and the two spaces amalgamated. A set of staff rooms occupies the south-east corner.

Exterior

The principal elevation faces north towards Keats Grove and comprises six bays. The first five bays each contain a single sash window with a simple projecting sill. The sash windows are timber framed, with those in bays 1, 2, 4 and 5 subdivided into 24 panes of glass (4 by 3 over 4 by 3). The window in bay 3 is slightly larger and comprises 30 panes of glass (5 by 3 over 5 by 3). Below the windows in bays 2 and 3 is a plain ventilation brick. This elevation has both upper and lower projecting string courses. The upper string course is continuous with the lintels for all five windows, whilst the lower string course lies beneath sill level. Bay 5 contains the foundation stone for the building, laid on 19 February 1931. The sixth bay is recessed slightly from the main elevation and contains the main entrance—a set of glazed 12-panel doors with brass handles and kick-plates situated within a recessed archway. Above the entrance is a centrally placed lantern. An original collapsible concertina iron gate folds into the recess on the right-hand side of the door, providing additional security during closing hours. To either side of the door, just below the projecting string course parapet, is a rainwater downpipe with hopper, which appear to be original. The parapet masks the flat-roofed section beyond.

The east elevation comprises three bays. Both the second and third bays contain a set of three windows. The recess for these windows matches those of the tall sash windows in the northern elevation with projecting sills; however, only the top section of these windows is glazed, the lower section being blind. The glazed portions have timber frames, the central window comprising 15 panes of glass and the windows either side comprising 12 panes each. Below the windows of bay 2 is a small flat-roofed extension housing the public toilets. Bay 3 also includes a flat-roofed projection, though this is contemporary with the construction of the main library building. Historic plans show this as a Garden Store which originally retained a single window but has since been converted to toilets and now contains two small rectangular timber-framed windows comprising six panes each (2 by 3). North of this projection is a slight recess containing a square sash window subdivided into 20 panes of glass (5 by 2 over 5 by 2) and a timber door panelled with four glazed panes above a central lock rail. This doorway is approached by a set of concrete steps with a wrought iron balustrade. A glazed awning extends over this recess to cover the doorway and the cellar stairs, which are located against this elevation hidden behind a low rendered wall.

The south and west-facing elevations could not be observed due to the proximity of surrounding gardens and buildings.

Interior

Entrance Corridor

The entrance corridor is rectangular in plan and retains a number of original features including three rectangular Crittall glazed skylights with Greek key plasterwork surrounds. Between each skylight is a ceiling beam which subdivides the room into three sections, each with a foliated plasterwork cornice. A deep moulded skirting board surrounds the room and three cast iron radiators with a timber shelf above and a green tiled recess behind survive within the western wall. A partition wall has been inserted towards the south to create a small store room (used by the Keats House Museum). The original floor has been covered with laminate flooring. The eastern wall retains two sets of oak double doors with oak stepped architraves. The first set provides access into the room shown on original plans as the Keats Museum. These doors have a glazed lozenge-shaped panel and retain their original brass handles with Greek key moulding, hinges and kick plates. A sliding cast iron panel sits within the wall recess, possibly to provide an added level of fire protection to this room, which was a museum room rather than a library room. The second set of double doors provides access into the general library room, shown on historical plans as the lending library. These doors have a circular glazed panel and do not have the addition of a sliding cast iron fire door. A third set of double doors is located in the south wall of the partitioned store room and is no longer used. These doors are original and would have originally provided access from the main entrance corridor into the reading room, which has since been opened up to form the current general library room.

Museum Room

The museum room at the front of the building is lit by the five sash windows of the north elevation and three smaller windows of the east. These smaller windows retain their original opening winding mechanism. All windows have oak sills, deep moulded architraves and are topped by a moulded dado rail. The floor has been carpeted. A partition at one time divided the room into two, evidenced by the modern decorative scheme, but this partition was later removed, restoring the room to its full size. At the eastern end is a French-polished display cabinet with glazed doors. No other original furniture survives. In the southern wall is a glazed timber panel within the centre of which is a set of double doors leading through to the general library room. Either side of this panelling is a square glazed window which looks through into the general library room. These windows, panelling and doors all have sliding cast iron panels, again thought to add a level of fire protection to the museum room. The skirting board matches that of the hall; however, the cornicing is more complex, comprising an egg and dart ovolo moulding, a stepped moulding, a foliated moulding and finally a spiral moulding. The ceiling itself has two plasterwork floral moulded frames within which are three ceiling roses. The first and third ceiling roses have circular foliated designs, whilst the central ceiling rose is oval in shape and comprises a laurel wreath upon a sunburst background.

General Library Room

The general library room comprises both the former lending library and the former reading room. Originally these two rooms would have been separated by a glazed partition. This partition has been removed; however, evidence for its location is shown by columns situated between the two rooms, between which runs a timber beam. The herringbone parquet floor of both the former lending library and reading room survives and incorporates a number of brass floor vents which sit above the location of a former hot water pipe. The plasterwork cornices, skirting and dado rails match those found in the children's library. No original bookshelves or counters survive.

The former lending library is lit by a large circular domed skylight. This is Art Deco in style with a stained glass sunburst pattern enclosed by blue and green panes towards the edges of the dome. The plasterwork which surrounds the dome reuses the Greek key frieze seen elsewhere throughout the building as well as a foliated design. The former reading room is lit by a rectangular blue and green stained glass skylight, again surrounded by the Greek key plasterwork.

Staff Rooms

The library staff rooms are located in the south-east corner of the building. These rooms are rectangular in shape and retain none of the elaborate architectural detailing seen elsewhere in the building. Doors are surrounded by a simple stepped architrave, whilst plain skirting and dado rails surround the main staff room. Two early electrical boxes are located on the eastern wall of this room. A hatch in the ceiling provides access up to the roof space.

Basement

The basement has a poured concrete floor and painted brick walls. There is no evidence of original machinery.