| Description | The Free Library, Carlton Street, was built in 1905 and is included on the Wakefield Local Interest Buildings list (1989).
The Library was opened November 30th 1905 by the Architect G. H. Vernon Cale who presented Sir John Austin Bart., M.P. with a inscribed gold key (Lound, 2005, p.9). The Library was opened with funding for construction from Andrew Carnegie and the site site and finance to run and stock the library was provided by the local residents. This arrangement became the model used by the Carnegie Trust to create 2811 libraries throughout the world (Lound 2005, p.20). Cale (a Birmingham Architect) had been chosen from 124 applicants to design the building and produced plans in 1903 which apart from a number of carvings around the main door and edges of the building which do not appear on early photographic of the building and some plasterwork in the Reference Library the finished building would appear to be true to the design (Lound, 2005, p.30). A postcard held by Wakefield Museum (Acc. Cas1560/22) shows an external view of the library in 1906 and holds the comment 'It is much nicer inside than it appears outside'. The original library consisted of three parts a) the reading and newsrooms (for both men and women), b) the lending library and c) the reference library (Lound 2005, p.30).
On New Years Day in 1928 the adjoining Market Hall was destroyed by fire which although not causing any structural damage to the library, led to an insurance claim which allowed cosmetic adjustments to the library. In the next four years the three separate components were altered to meet the expanding requirements of the library. at this time a museum was also created upstairs in the former ladies room.
In 1955 an upstairs building extension was made at a cost of £7000 (Lound 2005, p.32). In 1974 the library was adopted by Wakefield Metropolitan District Council which replaced the former Castleford Borough Council (Lound 2005, p.123).
Carnegie libraries were built with money donated by Scottish American businessman Andrew Carnegie some 2509 Carnegie libraries were built between 1883 and 1929 across the United States, Britain, Ireland, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Serbia, the Caribbean and Fiji.
There are at least nine other known Carnegie libraries located in West Yorkshire:
a) Shipley, Crag Road, Briggate (built 1905)
b) Keighley, North Street (opened 1904 apparently the first Carnegie library to be funded in England) Grade II listed PRN 10017
c) Batley, Market Place (1907) Grade II listed PRN 13361
d) Wakefield, Drury Lane (opened 1905) Grade II listed PRN 11778
e) Pontefract, Salter Row (opened 1905 now Pontefract Museum) Grade II listed PRN 13360
f) Horbury, Westfield Road (opened 1906 locally listed PRN 13351
g) Sowerby Bridge, Hollins Mill Lane (1905)
h) Normanton, Castleford Road (1906/07) PRN 4031
i) Morley, Commercial Street (opened 1906) Grade II listed PRN 11157 |