Possilpark Library, 127, Allander Street, Glasgow

Possilpark Library, built between 1911 and 1913 by George Simpson, is a single-storey library with a near-rectangular plan and baroque details. The building features five bays facing Saracen Street and three unevenly spaced longer bays on Allander Street, constructed from red sandstone ashlar.

On Allander Street, the library has a wide advanced bay at the east and three set-back bays at the west, with a central door. The door is framed by decorated architraves, topped with a crest and a sculptured panel, all enclosed in a simplified aedicule that includes an entablature and a mutule cornice. The parapet above is punctuated by two plinths and urns, and the door itself is panelled. Flanking the door are two three-light windows, each with simple architraves and transoms. The wide eastern bay features a central tripartite window with a segmental pediment over the central light and two flanking single-light windows, all adorned with variously detailed aprons. Above the tripartite window is a panel in the parapet, with bold urns at the corners.

The Saracen Street elevation mirrors the western bay but features three shallow advanced central bays. Above these is a parapet with baroque crests and short balustraded sections flanking a central "LIBRARY" panel. There are square openings in the plinth that light the basement, which is raised at the east due to the slope of the site.

Both elevations include an entablature and parapet. The library is topped with a baroque cupola featuring urns, supported by Ionic columns and a cornice over a square section, leading to a domed lead roof with a finial. A lower addition is built in a simplified but similar style.

Inside, the library retains much of its original panelling and fittings. The reading room displays contemporary paintings by students of the Glasgow School of Art, depicting classical figures such as Astronomy by Alam Assefrey, Geography by Archibald McGlashen, Poetry by Tom Glentlemen, Commerce by Robertson Weir, Art by Helen Johnston, and Science by Josephine Cameron.