Barrow-in-Furness Main Public Library

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Barrow-in-Furness Main Public Library

Barrow-in-Furness Main Public Library (more usually known as Barrow Central Library or Barrow Library) is a Grade II listed Beaux-Arts style building located at Ramsden Square, Barrow-in-Furness, England. [1] Operated since 2023 by Westmorland and Furness Council, it is the largest library in the town and the present structure, designed by J A Charles [2] was originally built as a Carnegie library with support from the Carnegie Foundation. [3]

The first library in Barrow was opened on 18 September 1882 in temporary iron buildings in Schneider Square; [4] in 1887 this was transferred to a room within Barrow Town Hall. [5] The growing population meant that a larger building was needed and this was eventually met by the construction of the present accommodation at the junction of Abbey Road with Ramsden Square. The building itself bears a date of 1915 (denoted by an engraving by the main entrance which reads 'ANNO DNI MCMXV'), although delays brought about by World War I [1] meant that it wasn't actually completed and opened until 1922.

The library formerly housed the Furness Museum which held artefacts both from across the world and also from the local area. The museum (always operated by Barrow Borough Council) was opened in 1930 [5] in an upstairs lecture room. It closed in 1991 and most of the exhibits were eventually moved to larger purpose-built premises next to Walney Channel - the Dock Museum. After building modifications in 1998, the library has also worked with the Cumbria Archive Service in the joint operation of a local archives or county record office branch. This now shares a public searchroom together with the local studies library.

Besides the Central Library there are currently five other libraries in the present borough: Askam, Barrow Island, Dalton, Roose and Walney. A sixth branch at Ormsgill has now been replaced by a library link facility in Ormsgill Children's Centre [6]

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Parkside, Barrow-in-Furness</span> Human settlement in England

Parkside is an area and former electoral ward of Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria, England. It is bordered by Hindpool, Ormsgill, Hawcoat, Newbarns and Risedale and had a population of 5,742 in 2001, reducing to 5,584 at the 2011 Census. It is one of the town's most centralised wards and contains Barrow's main park, as well as the newly established Furness Academy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Barrow-in-Furness Town Hall</span> Municipal building in Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria, England

Barrow-in-Furness Town Hall is a Gothic Revival style municipal building in Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria, England. The building, which served as the headquarters of the former Barrow Borough Council, and now one of the bases of Westmorland and Furness Council, lies within a Conservation Area with Grade II* listed status.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Waterfront Barrow-in-Furness</span> Place in Cumbria, England

The Waterfront Barrow-in-Furness is a £200 million development under construction in and around the Port of Barrow, England. The site covers an area of some 400 acres (160 ha) and was due for completion in 2020. The internal road network is already complete, with construction of a large business park complex ongoing and work on a 400-berth marina and 650 home Marina Village due to start thereafter. In 2010, The Waterfront Barrow-in-Furness ranked as the ninetieth most costly regeneration project in the United Kingdom by Regeneration & Renewal. Progress on the project stalled between 2010 and 2016 due to complications with funding following the disabandonment of the North West Regional Development Agency. BAE Systems opened a large logistics warehouse named the Resolution Building on Dova Way within the designated Business Park Area in October 2016, while and construction of a new access road from Salthouse Road to the Marina Village commenced in May 2017.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Westminster Bank, Barrow-in-Furness</span>

The National Westminster Bank building in Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria, England is located at the intersection of Abbey Road and Duke Street. It was designed by Paley and Austin architects and built between 1873–74 and has been designated a Grade II listed building by English Heritage. Built for the Lancaster branch of the National Westminster Bank it was a major component of the Ramsden Square scheme, one of the planned town's two main squares and focal points. It is one of three former 'Nat West' properties with listed building status in the Borough and currently houses a carpet shop in the lower floors.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Abbot's Wood, Cumbria</span> Historic site in Cumbria, England

Abbot's Wood was a large country house and estate located to the north-northeast of Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria, England. It was sited on elevated ground to the northeast of Furness Abbey. The house was surrounded by extensive grounds with footpaths providing fine views.

The following is a timeline of the history of Barrow-in-Furness, England, United Kingdom.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thorncliffe Cemetery and Crematorium</span> Cemetery in Cumbria, England

Thorncliffe Cemetery and Crematorium is a 66-acre graveyard located on Devonshire Road in the Ormsgill ward of Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria, England.

Ramsden Dock railway station was the terminus of the Furness Railway's Ramsden Dock Branch in Barrow-in-Furness, England.

References

  1. 1 2 Historic England. "Public Library (1197858)". National Heritage List for England . Retrieved 9 June 2010.
  2. Matthew Hyde & Nikolaus Pevsner, The Buildings of England : Cumbria, page 137, 2010, ISBN   978-0-300-12663-1
  3. The Times newspaper, Saturday, Mar 10, 1923; pg. 12, carries a report to the Carnegie Foundation which mentions the completion of the library during the previous year
  4. J D Marshall, Furness and the Industrial Revolution, p421, 1981, ISBN   0-904131-26-2
  5. 1 2 F Barnes, Barrow and District, page 115, reprinted 1979, published by Barrow Borough Council, no ISBN
  6. "Cumbria Libraries Location Details : Cumbria County Council". Archived from the original on 13 December 2011. Retrieved 7 January 2012. List of Cumbria libraries, retrieved 5 January 2012

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