Streatham Tate Library and Hall

This public library was designed by Sidney R. J. Smith for Sir Henry Tate and built by Higgs and Hill in 1890-1. The separate hall to the east is understood to have been built at the same time, also to Smith's design.

Materials and Construction

The building is constructed of brick with Portland stone facing. The roofs are slated, with stone chimney stacks and a copper-domed cupola. The original timber windows survive, with moveable hopper sections.

Layout

The library occupies a corner site between Streatham High Road and Pinfold Road, with its principal elevation facing Streatham High Road. The main library is roughly rectangular on plan, set on a north-south axis. At the corner of the two roads stands a two-storey block, with a single-storey block attached to the north. The eastern section is also two storeys but lower than the corner block. The separate hall stands slightly to the east, roughly parallel with the library. Between the library and hall is a circa 1920s single-storey extension that projects northwards beyond the older buildings. This has been extended to the south by a glazed entrance block of 2014, which is excluded from the listing.

Exterior

The building is Classical in style, with Greek ornament, anthemion being the dominant decorative motif. The principal western elevation is asymmetrical, composed of four bays in the two-storey corner block and four bays in the single-storey block to the north. The ground floors of both blocks are consistent, having tall windows between pilasters with a shared entablature. Each window has a square-headed surround containing a scrolled pediment crowned by a shell. Both sections have a balustraded parapet with anthemion finials. A pediment above the second bay to the south bears the inscription 'TATE / FREE PUBLIC / LIBRARY'.

The former main entrance is placed roughly central to the principal elevation, in the northernmost bay of the two-storey block. The pedimented entrance is flanked by pilasters carved with drops in Renaissance style. The northern panel incorporates the initials 'H T' (for Henry Tate), and the southern panel contains 'S L C' (for Streatham Libraries Commissioners). Panels at the bases read, respectively, 'A GIFT / TO THE INHABITANTS / OF / STREATHAM / FROM / HENRY TATE / PARK HILL' and 'STREATHAM / LIBRARIES / COMMISSIONERS / 1890' with the names of the builders and architect. The door opening has carving to the frame and reveal, and anthemion acroteria to the pediment. The external steps have been removed, so the doorway now has a stone block to floor level and the opening is glazed. Above, the rectangular fanlight contains stained glass with the words 'TATE / FREE PUBLIC / LIBRARY' flanked by roundels bearing the initials 'S L C' and 'H T', with anthemion decoration. The three-panel oak doors remain in situ, with copper paterae and original letter-box panels—the northern one inscribed 'LIBRARY' and the southern one opening for 'LETTERS'.

In the bay above the entrance, the pilasters are divided with composite capitals, and extra pilasters create a tripartite window. Above this sits the cupola, its copper dome resting on squared columns. The clock projects from the façade in front of the cupola at parapet level, resting on a scrolled timber bracket. The clock case has corner pilasters, a pediment with acroterion, and a crown at the apex. The western side bears the dates of Edward VII. The base of the southernmost pilaster to the single-storey section commemorates the placing of the clock in 1912.

The pedimented north elevation of the single-storey section is now almost obscured by the tall building standing to the north. The south elevation of the two-storey section has three bays, the central bay being blind at first-floor level. Further to the east, the lower two-storey section has five bays, with the western three bays projecting slightly. This part of the building is without ornament apart from a string course and architrave moulding. The eastern elevation of this section is built of brick with a tall stack.

Standing at a short distance to the east is the hall, whose southern elevation is stuccoed and incised to resemble stone. A bold shaped gable fronts Pinfold Road, having two segmental-arched windows with keystones. Set back from the façade are narrow panels resting on stepped corbels. To the east is a pedimented entrance; the corresponding entrance to the west was removed as part of the circa 2014 works. Between the library and the hall is the new projecting entrance lobby.

To the north of the buildings, the brickwork is exposed. A small lean-to occupies the corner between the two-storey and single-storey eastern sections. Beside it to the east, a cast-iron fire escape gives access from the former librarian's accommodation. Further east is the circa 1920s extension, with red-brick door and window arches and a panelled door; the north elevation of the extension is painted. Behind it rises the gabled north elevation of the hall, with a tall narrow stack.

Interior

The original central lobby and vestibule are now opened into a single space, with the former newspaper and periodical room to the north, the magazine room to the south, and the lending library to the east. The hall ceiling is in two compartments, indicating the location of the former partition, and has a coved cornice with acanthus motif. The doorcases have pediments with anthemion acroteria.

The roof of the former newspaper room has encased arched trusses, with decorative plasterwork having panels to the soffits and anthemion and scrolled acanthus to the spandrels. Between alternate trusses to the west are clerestory windows. On the ceiling between the trusses are ornamental cast-iron vents. At the north end are two lunettes with leaded panes decorated with anthemion motifs. The window surrounds have pediments with scrolled anthemion, and the window frames have a wave-scroll pattern to the transoms. Stained glass to the upper portions has been lost.

The doorway between the hall and the former magazine room is now filled by glazing; the room is entered through an original doorway to the east. The room has moulded beams supported on ornate scrolled brackets with acanthus and rosettes to the spandrels, and the plaster frieze has alternate plasterwork wreath and panels. The windows have secondary glazing but the original frames survive.

The former lending library originally had a borrower's lobby entered from the hall, with a counter separating this from the area containing the stacks beyond; the room is now open. The complex roof has a coved lower section with clerestory lights to the east and panels to the west. In between, arches resting on anthemion corbels rise to meet tie beams, chamfered, with reeding to the central sections. Arches springing from the tie beams form a central barrel vault, with horizontal roof lights set between the coved and vaulted sections. In the south wall, doors open to the librarian's office to the west and the stair to the east. The doors have been replaced, but connecting doorways between rooms retain their panelling. Above the central door is a blind arched panel.

The librarian's office has a chimneypiece with scrolled jambs and a mantel-cornice; the cast-iron grate with surrounding floral tiles survives. This room has a moulded cornice and door and window surrounds. The door opening to the former magazine room now contains a glazed screen. To either side of the windows is a cast-iron reeded column with a grille to the top, connected with the heating system. The public parts of the library have iron grilles around the edges of the floor through which warm air originally rose. The entrance hall and the eastern, public part of the lending library were floored with black and white tiles with interlacing Greek key patterns, whilst the other floors had wood parquet; there is now new wooden flooring throughout.

In the south-east corner of the main building is the open-well stair, rising from the basement to the first floor. The stair has iron stick balusters and a moulded timber handrail. The stair hall is floored with coloured tiles and has an incised skirting. A lift has been installed in the south-east corner. The upper floor is much altered and has undergone some reconfiguration, but retains three cast-iron chimneypieces in 18th-century style, one incorporating figurative medallions, as well as moulded cornices and window surrounds. The basement contains a fireplace with a plain stone surround.

The eastern wall of the former lending library is pierced by five openings; formerly windows, these were lengthened to connect with the circa 1920s extension. This extension has a roof lantern running north-south and, at the north end, another lantern running west-east; the lanterns have been replaced. Connecting with the extension to the east is the hall, a single space spanned by arched wooden trusses resting on plain corbels, with a glazed lantern above; the lantern is a replacement. To the south is the 2014 entrance foyer.

Pursuant to section 1(5A) of the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act of 1990, it is declared that the 2014 glazed entrance block, the new projecting entrance lobby, and the 2014 entrance foyer are not of special architectural or historic interest.