Clapton Library

Clapton Library is a public library built between 1913 and 1914 by Edwin Cooper, a Fellow of the Royal Institute of British Architects. The building is made of red brick and features a mansard roof covered with Cumberland slates. It is a long, rectangular structure with one and a half storeys.

On the exterior, there are two arched openings; the western one serves as the entrance, while the eastern one is a window. Both openings have rubbed brick keystones and tilework surrounds. Above each is a stone scrolled cartouche that reads "CLAPTON PUBLIC LIBRARY" and features an owl. A stone string course runs at plinth height below a central range of seven windows, each consisting of 12 panes with hinged upper sections set in gauged red brick surrounds. The building is topped with a prominent eaves cornice.

Inside, the library contains a bronze dedication plaque in the entrance hall commemorating its opening on January 14, 1914. The reading rooms on the ground floor are adorned with Tuscan pilasters. The children's library on the first floor has a barrel-vaulted ceiling, and the issue desk is located at the west end, overlooking the stairwell.

Historically, Hackney adopted the Public Libraries Act in 1903 and constructed three libraries designed by Edwin Cooper a decade later: Dalston (now demolished), Homerton, and Clapton. The library was funded by Andrew Carnegie, the industrialist and philanthropist who supported the establishment of 2,800 libraries worldwide by 1919. A planned central tower was not built. Clapton Library is recognized for its restrained Classical style and excellent use of materials, as part of the group of libraries designed by Sir Edwin Cooper in Hackney.