Bangor Carnegie Library, Hamilton Road, Bangor, Co Down, BT20 4LH

Bangor Carnegie Library is a symmetrical two-storey over basement, three-bay Arts and Craft style library built around 1910 to designs of Ernest L Woods. The building is constructed of Flemish Bond red brick with a projected plinth course, topped with a natural Welsh slate roof with clay ridge tiles and leaded valleys over exposed overhanging timber rafters. Ogee moulded cast iron guttering with decorated box gutters and circular downpipes runs around the building.

The principal elevation faces north, symmetrically arranged with projecting paired Dutch gables to either side of a central entrance bay. The entrance comprises a replacement timber door flanked by narrow oblong sidelights, set within chamfered ashlar sandstone jambs and lintel with cornice, and topped by a projecting segmental arched sandstone canopy. A large sandstone plaque above the canopy is inscribed "Carnegie Library and Municipal Technical School". The first floor features a centrally located tripartite casement window. Single glazed timber casement windows with chamfered sandstone cills and lintels serve the ground floor; segmental single brick arches top the first floor windows. The symmetrical gable ends each contain two large square-headed windows with sandstone mullions and transoms, with large segmental arched windows to the first floor formed from the gable drops with sandstone reveals. A projected brick label course runs across each gable. Small arrow loop openings flanked by decorative brickwork occupy the gable heads, embraced with decorative sandstone coping stone. A copper-clad ventilation lantern with weathervane sits centrally over the ridge.

The east elevation is symmetrically arranged three windows wide, matching the ground floor fenestration pattern of the principal elevation, with smaller plain segmental arched windows to the first floor. The rear gabled elevation features tripartite ground floor windows to both gables and two additional segmental arched windows to the first floor of the left gable. A two-storey flat roof link block with varying window sizes abuts the rear elevation centrally, serving white rendered rear accommodation. The east face of this abutment is a two-storey gable end with no openings. The west gable of the abutment contains a centrally positioned projected chimney stack, stepped in at first floor level and rising over the gable apex with cornice detailing and two clay pots, flanked by segmental arched windows to either side at ground and first floor levels, with louvred openings to basement. The west face of the linked block is infilled with a fully glazed modern staircase, while the west elevation matches the east elevation with evidence of an infilled basement opening. A large two to three storey modern extension abuts the south face of the abutment.

The building occupies a rectangular plan form with secondary rear accommodation. It underwent a large modern extension and restoration around 2008. The building is located north of Ward Park, off Hamilton Road opposite Hamilton Road Presbyterian Church, and is sited within this large landscaped and wooded public area with associated water features and a war memorial. The front is enclosed by replacement railings fixed to existing wall with brick and sandstone piers and replacement gates, addressing Hamilton Road, a busy thoroughfare leading towards the town centre.