Public Library is a Grade II listed building in the Kensington and Chelsea local planning authority area, England. First listed on 7 November 1984. A 19th century Public library. 3 related planning applications.

Public Library

WRENN ID
muted-bronze-wind
Grade
II
Local Planning Authority
Kensington and Chelsea
Constituency
Kensington and Bayswater MP: Joe Powell (Lab)
Country
England
Date first listed
7 November 1984
Type
Public library
Address
Public Library, 108, Ladbroke Grove W11, W11 1PZ
OS grid reference
TQ 243 812
Coordinates
51.51667, -0.20922
Source
Historic England listing

Also on this page: related consents · flood risk · radon risk · weather exposure · detailed attributes ↓

Description

The Public Library, built between 1890 and 1891, was designed by T Phillips Figgis and H Wilson. It is constructed of red brick with stone bands and features two storeys topped by a steep tiled roof. The building has an irregular layout, with four main bays facing Ladbroke Grove. The left pair of bays is topped by a gable, and there is a lower gable over the porch, while the right bay is gableless.

Prominent large square projecting buttresses flank the porch and the left corner, featuring sunk parapets adorned with animal carvings in stone, which are topped by simplified stone-buttressed cupolas. The entrance includes a segmental-headed doorway with a stone balustrade above it. The windows are designed with mullions and transoms. The return facade on the left also has large buttresses at the corners and features a large Late Gothic traceried window, along with a truncated gable above. A central lantern and cupola, topped with a ball finial, completes the design.

Local climate

Public Library sits in one of the driest parts of the UK, with an average of 700 mm of rain a year. This makes it drier than 93% of listed buildings in the UK. Its exposure to wind-driven rain is lower than that of 94% of listed buildings.

It experiences an average of 34 freeze-thaw cycles a year, more than 51% of listed buildings. Of these, 15 follow at least 1 mm of rain in the preceding 48 hours. Average temperatures at this location have risen by 0.3°C per decade since 1991.

Averages for 1991–2020; temperature trend 1991–2025. Figures describe the wider area (a grid cell of roughly 10 km), not the individual site. Contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information 2026.

More on this building

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  • No EPC on record for this property
  • No sale records on file
  • Related listed building consents — 3 applications
  • Detailed attributes — period, style, materials, features
  • Flood risk assessment
  • Radon risk assessment
  • Weather exposure and heating demand — rain and frost month by month and year by year, wind direction, solar and humidity
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