Linen Hall Library, 17 Donegall Square North, Belfast, County Antrim, BT1 5GP

Linen Hall Library, 17 Donegall Square North, Belfast

Originally constructed in 1864 as a linen warehouse to designs by the Belfast firm Lanyon, Lynn and Lanyon, this corner-sited three-storey building occupies a prominent position on the north side of Donegall Square. It was converted in 1891 to house the Linen Hall Library for the Belfast Society for Promoting Knowledge, following the loss of their former premises in the White Linen Hall, which once stood directly opposite on the site now occupied by the City Hall. The conversion was carried out to designs by Young and MacKenzie, with James Wilson as engineer and Campbell and Dixon as builders, and the library opened on 28th January 1892. It is now Ireland's only surviving subscription library.

Architectural Character

The building is constructed of light grey brick with a hipped slate roof with leaded hips and ridges, and cast iron rainwater goods. The Dublin Builder, reviewing the original warehouse in 1864, noted that it was "somewhat striking, and eminently suggestive of commercial respectability," praising its ornamented and structural details as "well worth study," while acknowledging it suffered from the awkward, crooked nature of its corner site.

The south elevation faces Donegall Square and is five windows wide across three storeys, built in light grey brick laid in Flemish bond. A string course and ornamental brickwork in relief run above the first floor, and five courses of corbelled brickwork form the eaves. The centrepiece of this elevation is the recessed library entrance, which is set within a porch featuring plain Doric pilasters on tall bases supporting a pediment with a fretted balustrade above. The entrance is decorated with linen swags and the red hand of Ulster. On either side of the entrance are modern shopfronts, occupying units that have historically been leased out by the library. At first floor, the windows are tall plain sashes with fixed top lights containing stained glass — the upper sections depicting famous writers and scientists — set beneath pediments. The second floor windows are plain sashes with segmental heads and keystones. All windows on this elevation have moulded architraves.

The west elevation is connected to the south front by a chamfered corner bay and extends for seven bays. It follows similar proportions to the south elevation but is plainer, lacking the architraves, keystones, pediments and string course detailing found on the front. At its northern end, a former gap has been filled with a modern glass link block connecting the building to 48–50 Fountain Street, the upper floors of which are now leased by and form part of the library. The north and east elevations are abutted by adjoining buildings.

When first built, the ground floor of the building echoed the storeys above, with Scrabo sandstone window dressings and a façade in Scotch-fire brick. By 1903, however, the two flanking frontages at Nos. 16 and 18 Donegall Square North had been largely glazed, with fascia boards and a tall curved glass feature to the corner of No. 18 at the junction with Fountain Street. Both units have since been refurbished multiple times. No. 18 is now clad in stone on its Fountain Street façade.

Interior

The two main staircases are finely detailed. On the main floor, reached by a stone staircase from the balustraded central entrance, the original 1892 layout provided separate rooms for reading, conversation, tea and coffee, and a ladies' cloakroom. Many of the original bookcases and other fittings survive and contribute significantly to the library's character, and much historic fabric and detail remains throughout the building.

Historical Background

The Belfast Reading Society was founded in 1788 as part of the era's broader interest in societal and self-improvement, with the aim of running a subscription library for its members. In 1792 it changed its name to the Belfast Society for Promoting Knowledge. Among its leading early members were Henry Joy McCracken, Roger Mulholland, Thomas Russell, Samuel Neilson, and William Osborne. From 1802, the Society's premises were located in the White Linen Hall — the source of the library's unofficial title. When the City Hall was erected on that site in 1896, the library was required to move and had already purchased the former linen warehouse of Moore and Weinberg in 1890 for £7,000.

The building first appears on a map of Belfast dated 1879 and is recorded in the Annual Revisions (1862–82) as the warehouse and yard of linen manufacturers Moore and Weinberg, with a rateable value of £350. The Linen Hall Library first appears as occupier of the building in the general Revisions (1880–96), listed at a value of £150 for the first, fourth, and caretaker's rooms. At the same time, the library leased two ground floor units and parts of the second and third floors as offices and storerooms to other tenants, with a combined additional value of £250. The unit at No. 16 was leased to the Scottish Provident Institution as office space at £70, while No. 18 was first occupied by a Charles Bell, with combined offices above valued in total at £180.

In 1900, the library expanded into the second floor and the interior was redesigned to accommodate growing collections; by 1907 it had also expanded into the attic floor. The Annual Revisions (1906–15) record an increased value of £280. Extensive structural alterations and expansion into premises to the rear during the 1920s were reflected in the First General Revaluation of 1935, which assigned a value of £620. The building was undamaged during the air raids of 1942, and membership reached its peak in 1945 as a result of the slow development of the public library service in Ireland.

During the late 20th century the fabric of the building deteriorated rapidly, attendance declined sharply, and closure was narrowly avoided. Young and MacKenzie again oversaw major refurbishment and repair work in 1982–84. The building suffered fire damage in December 1993. In the mid-1990s, upper floor premises at 48–50 Fountain Street were purchased, and a large modern extension was constructed to the rear at a cost of £3.5 million, providing additional storage, reading rooms, and meeting rooms. Throughout the 20th century the two ground floor units — Nos. 16 and 18 — were leased as offices or commercial premises and refurbished on a number of occasions; they continue to be leased by the library.

Setting and Significance

The Linen Hall Library occupies a prominent corner position and is among the earliest surviving buildings in the vicinity of Donegall Square. Together with the other 19th and early 20th century buildings around the square, it forms part of the civic setting of the City Hall. It is a fine example, by architects of considerable note, of 19th century mercantile development in the city centre, and its conversion from warehouse to library — also the work of notable architects — is of additional interest. Nobel Laureate Seamus Heaney described it as follows: "No institution in Northern Ireland has done more to promote enlightenment and represent a better future for all our citizens."