Swiss Cottage Library

The Swiss Cottage Library, built between 1963 and 1964, was designed by Sir Basil Spence, Bonnington and Collins for the Borough of Hampstead. It is a public library constructed on a reinforced concrete frame with a 10-foot grid, faced with pre-cast black basalt concrete spandrel panels, projecting concrete fins incorporating Portland stone aggregate, and Portland stone and concrete walls to the raised basement and ground floor, which are painted. The roof is finished with asphalt over a concrete slab. The building has a complex, cigar-shaped plan, with the entrance at ground-floor level on the northern end of the site. The ground floor and basements house offices, services, and bookstacks, whilst stairs lead to a double-height central foyer on the first floor. A children's library is located to one side of the foyer, with lending and reference libraries on two levels to the north and south respectively, each accessed via two pairs of spiral stairs to a balcony. A music library is situated above the children's library on the second floor, accessed through the reference library, which also includes work rooms for private study and offices.

The projecting fins of Portland stone aggregate, spaced at intervals of 2 feet 6 inches, are a dominant feature, contrasted with the darker panels in between. Aluminium windows are used throughout. The interior extensively utilises aluminium in glazed screens, preferring them to solid walls in the public areas. Slender steel balustrades adorn the balcony fronts and internal stairs of the reference and lending libraries, reflecting this vertical emphasis. The ceilings are of white perforated aluminium, with recessed fluorescent lighting, complementing the use of diffused natural light. The floors are finished with terrazzo. Original bookcases and fixed desks remain, particularly in the reference area, and some original signage has survived on the ground and first floors.

The library and the adjacent baths were the only elements constructed from an intended new civic centre for Hampstead, the larger scheme being abandoned due to local authority reorganisation in 1965. The library represents one of Sir Basil Spence’s most accomplished civic buildings and is amongst the most ambitious architectural designs for a library.