AS a popular library celebrates its 50th birthday, CARL BROWN takes a look at the history of the familiar landmark.
SITTING on the corner of busy High Road and Cathall Road, Harrow Green Library is a familiar site to the residents of Leytonstone and motorists passing through.
The venue, which is 50 years old this month, was originally due to open in 1939 as part of Labour-led Leyton Council's drive to create new libraries, which had already seen Leytonstone library open four years earlier.
Structural works on the building were completed, but the finishing touches were halted due to the outbreak of the Second World War in 1939.
It was not until 18 years later, in June 1957, that the council decided to complete refurbishment work, which was finally finished two and a half years later.
The official programme for the opening ceremony said: “The interior of the building was re-designed, every consideration being given to the use of contemporary materials and methods of construction.” The building had an adult library with space for 10,000 books, a junior library with enough room for 3,500 volumes, an archive of 27,000 publications and a lecture hall which could seat 168 people.
The cost of completing the library was £30,000 – small change by today's standards.
Vi Gosling MBE was a Labour member on the Leyton Council and was chairwoman of the libraries committee when the new facility was opened by the then Mayor of Leyton, Councillor J J Walsh, on January 16, 1960.
Miss Gosling, who last Saturday spoke of her memories at an event to commemorate the anniversary, recalls the occasion.
The 92-year-old said: “There was the Mayor, councillors and the borough librarian, there was a quite a huge gathering in the library hall.”
Miss Gosling, who formerly chaired Waltham Forest Arts Council, said: “The councillors who decided to open new libraries in the 1930s had a real passion for the library as an institution.
“Libraries not only loans books, they are also a source of information on a broad basis and of course they now have all the other technological aids.
“The arts council would open libraries at the weekends and host exhibitions and community festivals and there has always been a hall used for stage performances.
“The libraries department used to be a major department in the council, this has changed significantly.”
Miss Gosling, said the library has not changed much, with the addition of computers being the main difference.
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