St. George's Terrace, Jesmond Branch Library

St. George's Terrace, Jesmond Branch Library

HER Number
9120
District
Newcastle
Site Name
St. George's Terrace, Jesmond Branch Library
Place
Jesmond
Map Sheet
NZ26NE
Class
Recreational
Site Type: Broad
Art and Education Venue
Site Type: Specific
Public Library
General Period
20TH CENTURY
Specific Period
Mid 20th Century 1933 to 1966
Form of Evidence
Extant Building
Description
This library was listed Grade II in 1998 with the following description:
'Branch library. 1962-63. Harry Faulkner Brown of Williamson, Faulkner, Brown and Partners. Steel frame painted black. Precast pink granite aggregate panels. Grey brick to administration block. Flat roof. Circular plan to main lending area with "saw-tooth" arrangement of external windows and panels. This is connected to a two-storey administrative block. The "saw-tooth" walls of the circular lending area enables light to be introduced to the side of the bookcases, which are built into the long edges of the serrations, backed by aggregate panels and with glazing above. Recessed fully glazed entrance. This little library is built to a high standard of design, detailing and finishes and uses its circular plan to occupy its corner site with elegance. Awarded RIBA Bronze Medal in 1965. (Architects Journal: 1963-: 1235; Architectural Review: 1963-: 427, 442, The Builder: 1963-: 671-674).' {1}
1962-3 by Williamson, Faulkner Brown & Partners for the City of Newcastle. Like Fenham Branch Library, this is typical of the best of its date. A corner site with narrow frontage is used to advantage by setting a circular reading room in a bed of whinstone cobbles and granite setts. The perimeter wall is zigzag in plan, each glass-fronted fin enclosing a bookcase against a lower panel of red granite chips in its longer side. These full-height glass fins lead the eye by stages round the corner {2}. LISTED GRADE 2
Easting
425280
Northing
566590
Grid Reference
NZ425280566590
Sources
Department of National Heritage, List of Buildings of Special Architectural and Historic Interest, 1833/9/10059; N. Pevsner and I. Richmond (second edition revised by J. Grundy, G. McCombie, P. Ryder, H. Welfare), 1992, The Buildings of England - Northumberland, page 511; Alan Morgan, 2010, Jesmond from mines to mansions, page 87; https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1323708