Public Library

The Public Library, located on Lewisham Way SE4, was built in 1914 by H Brumwell Thomas. This single-storey building features four windows and a raised attic that is blank at the front. It is designed in a modified baroque style. The central front, made of ashlar, is highlighted by four pairs of tall Ionic columns, with the outer columns being square. These columns support an entablature that includes a pulvinated frieze and a dentil cornice, which is broken back and continues through the rebated left angle and along the return. The entablature rests on two pairs of Ionic pilasters at either end, also with square outer columns, all standing on a substantial stone plinth. Above the blocking course is a cornice and a high parapet, featuring ornamental pilasters that rise through it to the top cornice, capped with block finials.

The central open pediment bears an inscription in a garland that reads "DEPTFORD CENTRAL LIBRARY, 1914." The side bays are constructed of banded rusticated brick, with the left return also featuring stone end sections. The round-arched windows, located at the sides and on the return, are set in coved recesses with gauged and rusticated heads. The windows in the central section have moulded architraves and an impost string. The double door consists of six fancy panels and has an enriched architrave cornice and parapet, with a raised centre displaying the inscription "This library is the gift of Andrew Carnegie." Inside, there is a barrel-vaulted hall with groin-vaulted doorways, a massive staircase with a stone balustrade, and a Venetian window on the half-landing.