Carnegie Arts Centre And Theatre

The Carnegie Arts Centre and Theatre, originally a library, was built in 1904 and is located on Finkle Street in Workington. The building is constructed from rock-faced calciferous sandstone, featuring red sandstone quoins and an eaves cornice adorned with modillions, all resting on a large red sandstone plinth. It has a hipped roof made of graduated greenslate, complemented by red sandstone ashlar chimney stacks. The structure is two storeys high and consists of seven bays, with single-storey, four-bay wings on either side. To the left, a two-storey theatre adjoins the main building, creating an overall L-shape.

The principal entrance features double panelled doors set within an eared architrave, topped by a console-bracketed hood. To the left of the entrance is a window that is part of a blocked doorway, which is dated. The building includes sash windows with glazing bars, framed in red sandstone architraves. The ground-floor windows have arched heads and false keystones, while the window above the entrance is situated beneath a large segmental pediment that bears a Latin inscription. The wings also have sash windows within red sandstone surrounds. The theatre section has 20th-century ground-floor doorways and windows that fit within the original architraves. The main entrance is highlighted by an alternate-block surround beneath a Venetian window and a gable niche. The left return wall shows blocked windows, two of which have round arches. The roof is topped with a prominent lead and stucco cupola. The rear brick extensions are not of interest.