Erith Library is a Grade II listed building in the Bexley local planning authority area, England. First listed on 7 March 1996. Public library. 5 related planning applications.
Erith Library
- WRENN ID
- dark-storey-vetch
- Grade
- II
- Local Planning Authority
- Bexley
- Constituency
- Erith and Thamesmead MP: Ms Abena Oppong-Asare (Lab)
- Country
- England
- Date first listed
- 7 March 1996
- Type
- Public library
- Address
- Erith Library, Walnut Tree Road, DA8 1RS
- OS grid reference
- TQ 513 780
- Coordinates
- 51.48137, 0.17783
- Source
- Historic England listing
Description
Erith Library is a public library built in 1906 by W. Egerton. It is constructed of red brick with extensive stone detailing and features a slate hipped roof topped with a cupola. The building is two storeys high, with a central front section that has a segmental arched door canopy supported by Doric columns, and an aediculed niche above. On either side of the entrance, there are four-window ranges, with pairs of rectangular, keystoned windows on the ground floor and a round window above on the first floor. The southern side has a pedimented doorway and a long, four-bay arcaded wall. The cupola resembles a square temple and is topped with a bronze weathervane in the shape of a sailing ship.
Inside, the entrance porch displays two war memorial plaques. The front range contains small reading rooms, while the main room at the rear is a single-storey space with aisles, featuring marble columns at the entrance and a wooden trussed roof with skylights. The side aisles are separated from the central bay by a triple arcade, which is illuminated by lunettes.
This library was funded by the Andrew Carnegie Fund and is a notable example of the 'Free Renaissance' style of library design.
Local climate
Erith Library sits in one of the driest parts of the UK, with an average of 680 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 96% of listed buildings.
It experiences an average of 25 freeze-thaw cycles a year, fewer than 73% of listed buildings. Of these, 11 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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- Full EPC report — heating system, energy costs, size, glazing, construction etc.
- No sale records on file
- Related listed building consents — 5 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
Matched applications, energy data and sale records are assembled automatically and may contain errors. Flag incorrect data.
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