Newcastle City Library

Last updated

Newcastle City Library
New City Library
Newcastle City Library south west corner.JPG
The Library's main entrance
Newcastle City Library
Alternative names Charles Avison Building
General information
TypeSteel and glass
Location Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom
Coordinates 54°58′17.63″N1°36′22.10″W / 54.9715639°N 1.6061389°W / 54.9715639; -1.6061389
Construction started17 December 2007
Completed3 March 2009
Technical details
Floor count6
Design and construction
Architecture firmRyder Architecture
Main contractorTolent Construction / Kajima Construction

Newcastle City Library (also known as the Charles Avison Building) is a library in the city centre of Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom. Completed on 3 March 2009, the building opened on 7 June 2009, and is the city's main public library. The main feature of the building is a long 'glass box' forming the eastern side of the steel frame structure.

Contents

Replacing the old building

The city's central library has been on this site since Victorian times, with the original building demolished in the 1960s to make way for a concrete and steel structure designed by Sir Basil Spence situated on the corner of John Dobson Street and New Bridge Street West, which opened in 1968. [1] The neighbouring Laing Art Gallery had originally been built as an extension of the old Victorian library and was left somewhat out of context following the demolition of the older building, with a blank brick wall facing towards the city centre.

The 1960s building rapidly became unfit for the purpose of a modern public library with its name changing in the late 1990s from Central Library to City Library. Additionally, the 1960s design of the library became regarded as exceedingly ugly, with local TV presenter and author John Grundy describing it as "a monstrous concrete blob". The road to the rear of the library, John Dobson Street, used to have a concrete canopy which hung over the dual carriageway stretching from Durant Road up to the junction of New Bridge Street West. This canopy was at the official ground floor level of the library and provided the library with an entrance to the rear with access onto which was ultimately a rather unused large pedestrian area with seats and other street furniture. In the late 1990s the canopy was demolished back to the Bewick Court high rise block of flats which resulted in the rear-facing entrance becoming redundant, as it had nothing to connect to and became a balcony.

The library was closed on 1 September 2006, and demolished from April to July 2007. The foundation stone marking the construction of the new library was ceremonially laid by the Mayor on 17 December 2007. The Poet Laureate Andrew Motion was guest of honour at the handover of the new building from the contractors to the City Council on 3 March 2009. [2] The new building is situated directly on top of the old building, which resulted in the closure of the 'Dobsons' Bar which utilised the lower ground floor area (which opened onto New Bridge Street West directly).

The new building

It is named the Charles Avison Building after the 18th-century Newcastle composer. [3] It was dedicated on 21 June 2009.

The opening day, 7 June 2009, [2] featured a programme of entertainment from musicians performing in the entrance hall and fictional characters including Captain Hook, Sherlock Holmes, Alice in Wonderland, The Queen of Hearts, The Gruffalo and Peter Rabbit. The six-storey building contains a marble-floored atrium, a viewing platform, a 185-seat performance space, a café and an exhibition space. [3] Construction cost was £24 million. [4]

It was officially opened by The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh on 6 November 2009. [5]

When it first opened the new building used technologies specifically designed for use in libraries. It was an early adopter of RFID library tagging technology. Every book is fitted with a digital tag, meaning books can be checked out and returned via automated checkout points, and theft of stock becomes much harder. Staff members carry hands-free voice-activated WiFi radios to communicate with other members of staff, a first in the UK. [4]

The library is included in scenes in the film I, Daniel Blake, directed by Ken Loach, where the eponymous character upon losing his life-long job as a builder goes to the library to get online to apply for welfare benefits. [6]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Newcastle upon Tyne</span> City in England

Newcastle upon Tyne, or simply Newcastle, is a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. It is England's northernmost metropolitan borough, located on the River Tyne's northern bank opposite Gateshead to the south. It is the most populous settlement in the Tyneside conurbation and North East England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Castle, Newcastle</span> 11th-century English castle

The Castle, Newcastle, or Newcastle Castle is a medieval fortification in Newcastle upon Tyne, England, built on the site of the fortress that gave the City of Newcastle its name. The most prominent remaining structures on the site are the Castle Keep, and the Black Gate, its fortified gatehouse.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Dobson (architect)</span> English architect

John Dobson was a 19th-century English neoclassical architect. During his life, he was the most noted architect in Northern England. He designed more than 50 churches and 100 private houses, but he is best known for designing Newcastle railway station and his work with Richard Grainger developing the neoclassical centre of Newcastle. Other notable structures include Nunnykirk Hall, Meldon Park, Mitford Hall, Lilburn Tower, St John the Baptist Church in Otterburn, Northumberland, and Beaufront Castle.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Newtown railway station, Sydney</span> Railway station in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

Newtown railway station is a heritage-listed railway station located on the Main Suburban line, serving the Sydney suburb of Newtown, in New South Wales, Australia. It is served by Sydney Trains' T2 Inner West & Leppington Line services. The railway station and the Newtown Tram Depot were jointly added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 2 April 1999.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eldon Square Shopping Centre</span> Shopping mall in Newcastle upon Tyne, England

Eldon Square is a shopping centre in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. It opened in 1976 and was built on the site of Old Eldon Square, a famous part of Georgian Newcastle designed by John Dobson in about 1824. This redevelopment, which left only the eastern terrace standing, has been criticised, with one writer calling it "the greatest single example of architectural vandalism in Britain since the war".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brisbane City Hall</span> Civic building in Brisbane, Australia

Brisbane City Hall, in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, is the seat of the Brisbane City Council. It is located adjacent to King George Square, where the rectangular City Hall has its main entrance. The City Hall also has frontages and entrances in both Ann Street and Adelaide Street. The building design is based on a combination of the Roman Pantheon, and St Mark's Campanile in Venice and is considered one of Brisbane's finest buildings. It was listed on the Register of the National Estate in 1978 and on the Queensland Heritage Register in 1992. It is also iconic for its Westminster chimes which sound on the quarter-hour.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brisbane Showgrounds</span> Historic site in Queensland, Australia

The Brisbane Showgrounds is a multi-purpose venue located in Bowen Hills, Brisbane. Established in 1875, it hosts more than 250 events each year, the largest being the Royal Queensland Show (Ekka).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Newburn</span> Human settlement in England

Newburn is a village and district of Newcastle upon Tyne, in Tyne and Wear, England. Situated on the North bank of the River Tyne, it is built rising up the valley from the river. It is situated approximately 5 miles (8 km) from the city centre, 14 miles (23 km) east of Hexham and 13 miles (21 km) south south west of Morpeth. In the 2001 census, the population was given as 9,301, increasing to 9,536 at the 2011 Census. Newburn is in the Newcastle upon Tyne district of Tyne and Wear and is part of the parliamentary constituency of Newcastle upon Tyne North.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gosforth</span> Suburb of Newcastle upon Tyne, England

Gosforth is an area of Newcastle upon Tyne, England, situated north of the City Centre. It constituted a separate urban district of Northumberland from 1895 until 1974 before officially merging with the city of Newcastle upon Tyne. In 2001, it had a population of 23,620.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Richard Grainger</span> British builder

Richard Grainger was a builder in Newcastle upon Tyne. He worked with the architects John Dobson and Thomas Oliver, and with the town clerk, John Clayton, to redevelop the centre of Newcastle in the 19th century. Grainger Street and the Grainger Market are named after him; sometimes the whole area of Newcastle developed in the Neoclassical style around Grey Street and Grainger Street is referred to as Grainger Town.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Victoria Tunnel (Newcastle)</span> Subterranean wagonway under Newcastle upon Tyne, England

The Victoria Tunnel is a subterranean wagonway that runs under Newcastle upon Tyne, England, from the Town Moor down to the River Tyne. It was built between 1839 and 1842 to transport coal from Leazes Main Colliery in Spital Tongues, to riverside staithes (jetties), ready for loading onto boats for export.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grainger Town</span> Historic centre of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, England

Grainger Town is the historic commercial center of Newcastle upon Tyne, England. It covers approximately 36 ha. Almost all of Grainger Town is in Newcastle's Central Conservation Area, one of the first designated in England. The area includes a medieval 13th-century Dominican priory, pieces of the historic Town Walls, and many fine Georgian and Victorian buildings.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">South Norwood Library</span> Public library in Croydon, south London

South Norwood Library is a purpose-built public library in South Norwood, South London. Also known locally as 'Brutalist Library' it stands in the London Borough of Croydon and is part of the Croydon Libraries arm of the council. The site on the corner of Selhurst Road and Lawrence Road first had a library built in 1897, which was replaced by the current building in 1966.

Thomas Oliver was an English classical architect and surveyor active in Newcastle upon Tyne. He was one of a number of talented local architects who worked with Richard Grainger on the development of Newcastle, but his work tends to be overshadowed by that of John Dobson who has been given a great deal of the credit for the central part of the city referred to as Grainger Town.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lemington Power Station</span> Power station in North East England, UK

Lemington Power Station was a small, now demolished coal-fired power station, located in North East England. It was situated on the Lemington Gut, a backwater of the River Tyne, at Lemington, 3.5 mi (5.6 km) west of Newcastle upon Tyne. The station's main building stood until 2017 as a rare example of an early power station, dating from before the nationalisation of the United Kingdom's electrical supply industry.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Partnership House</span> Offices in Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom

Partnership House is a landmark tower office building in Gosforth, Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom. It is located within the Regent Centre business park, and was originally built to act as the main entrance and landmark building within the headquarters complex of the Northern Rock bank, prior to its near-collapse and nationalisation. It lies in the West Gosforth council ward. The building is owned by the local council, Newcastle City Council, whereas the majority of the Regent Centre buildings are owned by Omnia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Howard Smith Wharves</span> Historic site in Queensland, Australia

Howard Smith Wharves is a heritage-listed wharf on the Brisbane River at Boundary Street, Brisbane City and Fortitude Valley, City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It was built from 1939 to 1942. It is also known as Brisbane Central Wharves. The 3.5-hectare (8.6-acre) site is one of the most culturally and historically significant riverfront locations in Brisbane. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 4 February 1997.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Newcastle City Hall (Australia)</span> City hall in New South Wales, Australia

The Newcastle City Hall is a heritage-listed building located in the regional New South Wales city of Newcastle in the Hunter region in Australia. The building served as the city hall for the Council of the City of Newcastle between 1929 and 1977.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Toowong Municipal Library Building</span> Historic site in Queensland, Australia

The Toowong Municipal Library Building is heritage-listed former public library at 579–583 Coronation Drive, Toowong, City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It was designed by James Birrell and built in 1961 by Stuart Brothers. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 28 August 1998. In 2001, the library moved to Toowong Village Shopping Centre and the original building has been used as business premises.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gibson Kyle</span> English architect

Richard Gibson Kyle (1820–1903), known professionally as Gibson Kyle, was an English architect practising in and around Newcastle upon Tyne. His father was a Northumberland journeyman mason and contractor-builder. Kyle was articled to his uncle John Dobson and worked with him on local projects such as Newcastle railway station, some of the Quayside buildings, and the King Street-Queen Street block which was the site of a major fire in 1867.

References

  1. "Tyne And Wear, Newcastle Upon Tyne, City Library". Canmore. 2008. Retrieved 25 April 2019.
  2. 1 2 "Newcastle City Library, Building". e-architect. 28 May 2009. Retrieved 8 July 2017.
  3. 1 2 "New City Library". Newcastle City Council. Archived from the original on 6 April 2009. Retrieved 13 April 2009.
  4. 1 2 "Newcastle City Library, Building". e-architect. 28 May 2009. Retrieved 8 July 2017.
  5. "Queen to open the Great North Museum and City Library". The Journal. 28 October 2009. Retrieved 8 November 2009.
  6. Whetstone, David; Meechan, Simon (5 January 2019). "Where exactly in the North East was I, Daniel Blake filmed?". ChronicleLive. Retrieved 2 September 2022.