Dudley Library
| Dudley Library | |
|---|---|
 Dudley Library | |
General information | |
| Type | Library |
| Location | St James’s Road, Dudley, West Midlands, England |
Completed | September 1909 |
| Renovating team | |
| Architect | George H. Wenyon |
Listed Building – Grade II | |
| Designated | 09 April 1976 |
| Reference no. | 1287111 |
Dudley Library is a Grade II listed library in Dudley, West Midlands, England that opened in September 1909.
History
Dudley has had a public library since 1878 when the original library building was located in Priory Street. In 1909, a new library building was opened on St James’s Road designed by George H. Wenyon (who also designed Tipton District Library) after he won a competition to design the new library.[1] The construction was paid for with a £7,500 donation from Andrew Carnegie. The foundation stone was laid on 26 June 1908 by the Countess of Dudley and the Mayor, Councillor Cook. In September 1909 the new library was opened by John Hubert Ward, Equerry to King Edward VII. The statuary above the main entrance depicts “philosophy, science and the arts” and was installed by H. H Martyn & Co.[2]
When the library first opened it contained a reference library, magazine room and a lending department. It also had research rooms, with a separate ladies reading room on the first floor. Only library staff had access to the books on the shelves while lending books were requested and then delivered to borrowers in the central hall.[1] Open access to the library was not permitted until 1933.
The library was modernised in 1933 and then again in 1947. In 1964, a four-storey extension was built to the rear of the building. A major refurbishment of the library was completed in 2002 and 2012.[3]
References
- 1 2 "Public Library, Non Civil Parish - 1287111 | Historic England". historicengland.org.uk. Retrieved 2026-06-19.
- ↑ "Art UK".
- ↑ Nicholson, Fiona. "Dudley libraries modernisation". www.mla.gov.uk. Archived from the original on 2011-03-20. Retrieved 2026-06-19.
Media related to Dudley Public Library at Wikimedia Commons