Acton Public Library

Acton Public Library is a public library built between 1898 and 1900 by Maurice B Adams for Passmore Edwards. It is constructed of red brick with Bath stone dressings, bandings, and carvings, topped with a slate roof. The building has two storeys, with the eastern range originally being a single storey before a later addition created a first floor.

The façade facing High Street is particularly striking, featuring two projecting two-storey bays with open segmental pediments that support a dramatic gable topped by a chimney. The entrance is located in the eastern bay and is adorned with two carved consoles shaped like an atlante and a caryatid. Above the entrance is a cartouche with a scrolled and shouldered surround inscribed 'PASSMORE EDWARDS PUBLIC LIBRARY', while the western bay has a similar inscription reading 'BOROUGH OF ACTON'. Flanking the triple-arched windows are Ionic columns, and the pediments include strapwork cartouches with garlands. The gable is further enhanced by a scrolled oeil-de-boeuf window set within an arched recess supported by a cherub's head and scroll bracket, with large scrolls at both the base and apex of the gable. The building features mullion and transom windows, and an arched doorway in the westernmost bay, which was the former entrance to the Librarian's accommodation on the first floor, is now adapted as a reference library.

This library is noted for being one of the most picturesque designs, showcasing an impressive amount of decorative detailing, and is the work of one of the most prolific designers of public libraries. It is one of fifteen public libraries in London funded by John Passmore Edwards, a prominent philanthropist in the library movement and the proprietor of the Building News, which was edited by Maurice B Adams. The library is an important part of the civic landscape, forming a significant group with the adjoining town hall. While the interior and side elevations are of lesser interest, the building is distinguished by its exceptionally sculptural façade.