County Branch Library

The County Branch Library in Liskeard is a free library built in 1896 by Symons and Sons of Blackwater for John Passmore Edwards. It is dedicated to Charles Buller, who served as the Member of Parliament for Liskeard from 1832 to 1848.

This building is designed in the Flemish Renaissance style and has two storeys with a symmetrical seven-bay front. It features a Delabole slate roof with moulded eaves, three coped gables topped with ball finials, and a combination of plain and crested clay ridge tiles, along with metal roof ventilators and brick gable end stacks. The plan is irregular and L-shaped, with two linked wings at right angles behind the left side.

The central gabled bay projects forward, with alternate bays also projecting on the first floor and topped by ventilated gables. The central bay includes a round-headed doorway with rusticated voussoirs, flanked by fluted Ionic pilasters, and features an acanthus and scrolled apron above an inscribed panel. This is framed by a stepped moulded string that spans the full width of the front. Above this, there is a five-light mullioned oriel window with double transoms and flat heads over two centres, except for the central ogee-headed light. The building is topped with a moulded embattled false parapet featuring two ball finials and carved enrichments to a torus moulding. The Buller Memorial, dated 1886, is located above the gable.

Other bays have similarly detailed windows, with principal windows designed as oriels that include hoodmoulds with carved stops. The principal bays have three-light windows flanking single lights, with double transoms for the oriels and single transoms for the others, all fitted with plate glass. The library is a prominent feature in the streetscape, situated close to Stuart House. The interior has been altered in the 20th century.