Public Library is a Grade II listed building in the Newham local planning authority area, England. First listed on 6 November 1974. Library. 2 related planning applications.

Public Library

WRENN ID
wild-oriel-elm
Grade
II
Local Planning Authority
Newham
Constituency
East Ham MP: Sir Stephen Timms (Lab)
Country
England
Date first listed
6 November 1974
Type
Library
Address
Public Library, Romford Road, E12 5JY
OS grid reference
TQ 424 858
Coordinates
51.55311, 0.05379
Source
Historic England listing

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

Description

The Carnegie Library, built in 1904 by Campbell, is an exuberant red brick building adorned with terracotta dressings. It stands two storeys tall and features five windows across its front. The windows are segmental and have rusticated architraves, along with mullions and transoms. The central bay is slightly set forward and is accentuated by rusticated Ionic columns on the ground floor, topped with a Flemish gable at the parapet that includes a convex balcony. The entrance is located to the left and is sheltered by a balustraded canopy supported by rusticated Ionic columns. To the right on the ground floor, there is a bay window. The building has a four-bay return facing Rabbits Road, which also features a Flemish gable and an oriel window. The parapet is adorned with a balustrade. The exterior is richly decorated with finely moulded terracotta ornamentation, including masks on the keystones and the names of literary figures on the frieze. The interior has not been seen.

Local climate

Public Library sits in one of the driest parts of the UK, with an average of 670 mm of rain a year. This makes it drier than 99% of listed buildings in the UK. Its exposure to wind-driven rain is lower than that of 99% of listed buildings.

It experiences an average of 27 freeze-thaw cycles a year, fewer than 71% of listed buildings. Of these, 12 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
  • Sale history — 10 transactions since 1995
  • Related listed building consents — 2 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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