Chorlton Library refurbishment completed
Chorlton Library celebrated the final chapter in its development as it marked the completion of work to phase two of its refurbishment unveiling new meeting rooms and a refreshed community garden at t
The celebration signalled the end of the work and saw the Lord Mayor of Manchester Cllr Carmine Grimshaw, mark the opening cutting a celebration cake, speeches and a range of activities for the community, children and their families in the revamped library.
Having opened to the public at the start of April, more than 58,000 people have already passed through the doors of Chorlton Library , and with more than 40,000 books borrowed – it is has the second highest borrowing of all our libraries after Central Library.
Councillor John Hacking, Executive Member for Skills, Employment and Leisure said:
“Chorlton library is such an important community hub bringing people of all ages together, children and parents, teenagers and older people -and I am delighted that we can now declare the building fully open. It is the last of our libraries to undergo a full refurbishment as part of our Library renewal programme.
It is more than a building to our local residents; it is a hub to support our growing and changing community and the refurbishment of this flexible space with new meeting rooms will serve the library and the local community long into the future while meeting our sustainability plans and carbon neutral targets.”
Chorlton Library is a Grade II listed library which first opened in 1914, a gift from the famous Scottish American benefactor Andre Carnegie. The library has a fascinating link with the Titanic as the original architectural drawings were sent on the Titanic’s maiden voyage destined for the New York office of Andre Carnegie and those plans are presumed to have been lost during the sinking of the Titanic . Duplicates had to be sent by the Town Clerk at the time. Read more on Chorlton Library here
The centrepiece of the most recent library transformation was the unveiling of the stunning dome in the library entrance along with the mezzanine gallery which had been concealed for decades, and which now allows natural light to flood the space below.
Alongside the internal restoration work, the exterior stonework and windows have been repaired and electrical and mechanical systems renewed, to ensure the building contributes to lower carbon emissions to help the council meet its target of becoming zero carbon by 2038.
