Keats Community Library, Hampstead Town, London

Summary

A combined library and museum, constructed in 1931 to designs drawn up in 1930 by the architect W Sydney Trent (ARIBA).The library was built to serve both as a lending library and as a museum for the Keats Memorial Library, a collection compiled by Sir Charles Dilke and donated to the borough in 1911

Description

MATERIALS: the walls are rendered and painted walls, probably over brick. The hipped roof is slate with a pyramidal glass skylight over the central room of the library.

PLAN: a rectangular plan of one storey and a basement aligned north to south. A corridor runs north to south originally with three rooms leading off to the east. The northernmost room was originally the Keats Museum, the central room was the lending room and the southern room was the reading room. The original partition between the lending room and reading room has been removed and the two rooms have been amalgamated. There is also a set of staff rooms at the south-east corner.

EXTERIOR: the principal elevation faces north, towards Keats Grove, and is of six bays. The first five bays all contain a single sash window with a simple projecting sill. The sash windows are timber framed with the windows in bays 1, 2, 4 & 5 subdivided into 24 panes of glass (4x3 over 4x3), the window in bay 3 is slightly larger and comprises 30 panes of glass (5x3 over 5x3). Below the windows in bays 2 and 3 is a plain, ventilation brick. This elevation has both an upper and a lower projecting string course. The upper string course is continuous with the lintels for all five of the windows whilst the lower string course lies beneath sill level. Bay 5 contains the foundation stone for the building, which was laid on the 19 of February 1931. The sixth bay is recessed slightly from the main elevation and contains the main entrance to the library building comprising a set of glazed 12-panel doors with brass handles and kick-plates situated within a recessed archway. Above the entrance is a centrally placed lantern. An original collapsible, concertina iron gate is folded into the recess on the right hand side of the door and provides additional security to the building during closing hours. To either side of the door just below the projecting string course parapet is a rainwater downpipe with hopper, which appear to be original. The parapet masks the flat roofed section of the building beyond.

The east elevation is of three bays. Both the second and third bays contain a set of three windows. The recess for these windows matches those of the tall sash windows in the northern elevation with a projecting sill; however only the top section of these windows is glazed, the lower section being blind. The glazed portion of these windows have timber frames, the central window comprising 15 panes of glass and the windows either side comprising 12 panes of glass each. Below the windows of bay 2 is a small flat roofed extension which houses the public toilets. Bay 3 also includes a flat roofed projection, although this is contemporary to the construction of the main library building. Historic plans show this as a Garden Store, which originally would have retained a single window but has since been converted to toilets and now contains two small rectangular, timber framed windows comprising six panes each (2x3). North of this projection is a slight recess within which is a square sash window, subdivided into 20 panes of glass (5x2 over 5x2) and a timber door, panelled with four glazed panes above a central lock rail. This doorway is approached by a set of concrete steps with a wrought iron balustrade. A glazed awning extends over this recess to cover the doorway and the cellar stairs which are located against this elevation hidden behind a low, rendered wall.

The south and west facing elevations of this building could not be observed due to the proximity of surrounding gardens and buildings.

INTERIOR: the entrance corridor is rectangular in plan and retains a number of original features including three rectangular Crittall glazed skylights with a Greek key plasterwork surround. Between each of the skylights is a ceiling beam which subdivides the room into three, within each is a foliated, plasterwork cornice. A deep moulded skirting board surrounds the room and three cast iron radiators, with a timber shelf above and a green tiled recess behind, survive within the western wall. A partition wall has been inserted towards the south of the room to create a small store room (used by the Keats House Museum). The original floor has been covered with laminate flooring. The eastern wall retains two sets of oak double doors with an oak, stepped architrave. The first set of doors, provide access into the room shown on the original plans as the Keats Museum. These doors have a glazed lozenge shaped panel and retain their original brass handles with Greek key moulding, hinges and kick plates. A sliding cast iron panel sits within the wall recess, possibly to provide an added level of fire protection to this room, which was a museum room rather than a library room. The second set of double doors provides access into the general library room, shown on the historical plans as the lending library. These doors have a circular glazed panel and do not have the addition of a sliding cast iron fire door. A third set of double doors are located in the south wall of the partitioned store room and are no longer used. These doors are original and would have originally provided access from the main entrance corridor into the reading room, which has since been opened up to form the current general library room.

The museum room at the front of the building is lit by the five sash windows of the north elevation and three smaller windows of the east. These smaller windows retain their original opening, winding mechanism. All of the windows have oak sills, deep moulded architraves and are topped by a moulded dado rail. The floor has been carpeted and a partition at one time would have divided the room into two, evidenced by the modern decorative scheme. The partition was later removed restoring the room to its full size. At the eastern end of the room is a French polished display cabinet, with glazed doors. No other original furniture survives. In the southern wall is a glazed timber panel within the centre of which is a set of double doors which lead through to the general library room. Either side of this panelling is a square, glazed window which looks through into the general library room. These windows, panelling and doors all have a sliding cast iron panels again thought to add a level of fire protection to the museum room. The skirting board of this room matches that of the hall however the cornicing is rather more complex comprising an egg and dart ovolo moulding, a stepped moulding, a foliated moulding and finally a spiral moulding. The ceiling itself has two plasterwork, floral moulded frames within which are three ceiling roses. The first and third ceiling roses have circular foliated designs, whilst the central ceiling rose is oval in shape and comprises a laurel wreath upon a sunburst background.

The general library room comprises both the former lending library and the former reading room. Originally these two rooms would have been separated by a glazed partition. This partition has been removed. However, evidence for its location is shown by the columns situated between the two rooms, between which runs a timber beam. The herringbone parquet floor of both the former lending library and reading room survive and incorporate a number of brass floor vents which sit above the location of a former hot water pipe. The plaster-work cornices, skirting and dado rails matches that found in the children’s library. No original bookshelves or counters survive.

The former lending library is lit by a large, circular domed skylight. This is Art Deco in style with a stained glass, sunburst pattern enclosed by blue and green panes towards the edges of the dome. The plaster-work which surrounds the dome reuses the Greek key frieze seen elsewhere throughout the building as well as a foliated design. The former reading room is lit by a rectangular blue and green stained glass skylight again surrounded by the Greek key plaster-work.

The library staff rooms are located in the southeast corner of the building. These rooms are rectangular in shape and retain none of the elaborate architectural detailing seen elsewhere in the building. Doors are surrounded by a simple stepped architrave, whilst plain skirting and dado rails surround the main staff room. Two early electrical boxes are located on the eastern wall of this room. A hatch in the ceiling provides access up to the roof space.

The basement of the building has a poured concrete floor and painted brick walls and there is no evidence of original machinery.

This list entry was subject to a Minor Amendment on 31/03/2016

History

The Keats Community Library, formerly the Heath Library, was constructed in 1931 to designs by the architect W Sydney Trent (ARIBA). The library was built to serve both as a lending library and a museum for the Keats Memorial Library, a collection compiled by Sir Charles Dilke and donated to the borough in 1911. The building is located within the grounds of Keats House which was placed in the care of the Borough in 1924. Keats House is a Grade I listed building dedicated as a museum to the poet John Keats and Keats Library was designed to reflect the style and scale of Keats House. (KCL, 2014).

Before the Keats Library was built a book exchange had existed where borrowers could obtain books from the Arkright Road Library at Hampstead Heath Station. This was later replaced by a library in a former school building on Worsley Road (now part of Pilgrim’s Lane) (KCL, 2014).

Management of the Library was transferred from Camden Borough to the City of London and Camden took on a lease of the building to maintain the operation of Heath Library. This lease was surrendered in April 2012 after closure of the library in March 2012 (KCL, 2014).

The library re-opened as Keats Community Library in April 2012. KCL is an independent charity financially supported by the local Community (KCL, 2014).

Reasons for Listing

Keats Community Library, a neo-Georgian style lending library with museum room, designed by W Sydney Trent and built in 1931, is listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:
* Architectural interest: an understated small-scale neo-Georgian-style building deliberately designed not to overpower the adjoining Keats House Museum;
* Rarity: the plan form is most unusual because it has a museum room in addition to the usual separate lending and reading room;
* Interiors: an interior decorative scheme of good quality including oak joinery, stained glass skylights and high relief plaster work. Well preserved library interiors before 1939 are rare;
* Degree of survival: the exterior is unaltered, and the interior is almost intact apart;
* Group value: adjoins the Grade I listed Keats House Museum.

External Links

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