Public Library

The Public Library was built in 1905 and gifted to the Borough of Gravesend by Andrew Carnegie. It is a two-storey building constructed of brick with stone dressings, and comprises a central section flanked by two wings. The central portion features a stone cornice decorated with modillions, and three sash windows with intact glazing bars set within moulded architraves. The ground floor has four Tuscan half-columns supporting round-headed windows. A plinth runs along the base of the building. Each wing has a single bay and is topped with parapets featuring curved open pediments containing shields bearing the cartouche of the City of Gravesend. Pilasters with shields and wheat-ear drops on the capitals are also present. Each wing has one sash window with glazing bars within moulded surrounds. A stringcourse divides the ground and first floors. The left-hand side has a round-headed window with a keystone and swag moulding, while the right-hand side features an open pedimented stone doorcase supported by pilasters carved as mermaid caryatids. The building forms a group with the adjacent buildings at Nos 1A, 2A, 3A, 4A and 5A, which are of local interest.