# Central Library, Blackpool

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Public library in Blackpool, Lancashire, England

Blackpool Central Library Blackpool Central Library viewed from Queen Street Location within Blackpool General information Location Blackpool, United Kingdom Coordinates 53°49′14″N 3°03′11″W / 53.8206°N 3.0531°W / 53.8206; -3.0531 Completed 1911 Design and construction Architecture firm Cullen, Lochhead and Brown Listed Building – Grade II Official name Central Library and Grundy Art Gallery Designated 20 October 1983 Reference no. 1072014

**Central Library** is a [public library](/source/Public_library) in [Blackpool](/source/Blackpool), Lancashire, England, operated by the [Blackpool Council](/source/Blackpool_Council).[1]. The building that contains the library and the [Grundy Art Gallery](/source/Grundy_Art_Gallery) has been designated a Grade II listed building by English Heritage.

## History

In 1908, a site was picked for a new library and art gallery on Queen Street.[2] It was partly financed by [Bury](/source/Bury%2C_Greater_Manchester) artists Cuthbert and John Grundy. Construction started on the building in 1909, and it was completed in 1911.[3] It was designed by Scottish architecture firm Cullen, Lochhead and Brown, who had won a competition for the project.[2] In August 2010, the library closed to the public to undergo a year-long renovation that cost £3 million. It reopened on 26 September 2011.[4][5] The Library celebrated its centenary on 26 October 2011.

## Architecture

The library is in the [Edwardian Baroque](/source/Edwardian_Baroque) style.[6] It is on two storeys and is constructed of red brick with stone [dressings](/source/Ashlar) and striped [pilasters](/source/Pilaster).[3][6] The library occupies the corner part of the building; the west and south walls have flanking [pylons](/source/Pylon_(architecture)) on [plinths](/source/Plinth) made of stone.[3] The corner entrance is flanked by three [ionic columns](/source/Ionic_column) on each side.[3] Over the doorway is a large, rectangular window, and above that, a [frieze](/source/Frieze) carved with the words "Central Public Library". At the top, there is an octagonal leaded dome, which has a [finial](/source/Finial) shaped like an urn.[3][6]

On 20 October 1983 the building that contains the library, and the adjacent [Grundy Art Gallery](/source/Grundy_Art_Gallery), was designated a Grade II [listed building](/source/Listed_building) by [Historic England](/source/Historic_England). The Grade II listing—the lowest of the three grades—is for buildings that are "nationally important and of special interest".[7]

## Stained Glass

As part of the centenary renovation of the building in 2011, 8 new stained glass windows were commissioned. Designed by Nick Robertson[8] with a brief from the staff of the Library and input from Library users which were made by [Rainbow Glass Studios](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Www.rainbowglassstudios.co.uk&action=edit&redlink=1) based in London.

## See also

- [Listed buildings in Blackpool](/source/Listed_buildings_in_Blackpool)

- [List of libraries in the United Kingdom](/source/List_of_libraries_in_the_United_Kingdom)

## References

**Footnotes**

1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** ["Our libraries"](https://www.blackpool.gov.uk/Residents/Libraries-arts-and-heritage/Libraries/Libraries-and-opening-times/Libraries-and-opening-times.aspx), *blackpool.gov.uk*, Blackpool Council, retrieved 28 February 2026

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-Morris_2-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-Morris_2-1) [Morris](#Morris), p. 34

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-EH_3-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-EH_3-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-EH_3-2) [***d***](#cite_ref-EH_3-3) [***e***](#cite_ref-EH_3-4) [Historic England](/source/Historic_England), ["Central Library and Grundy Art Gallery (1072014)"](https://HistoricEngland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1072014?section=official-list-entry), *[National Heritage List for England](/source/National_Heritage_List_for_England)*, retrieved 10 June 2011

1. **[^](#cite_ref-bbc1_4-0)** ["Blackpool Central Library Closes for Refurbishment"](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-lancashire-11052819), *[BBC News](/source/BBC_News)*, [BBC](/source/BBC), 22 August 2010, retrieved 10 June 2011

1. **[^](#cite_ref-bbc2_5-0)** ["Blackpool Central Library Reopens After £3m Revamp"](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-lancashire-15197838), *BBC News*, 6 October 2011, retrieved 9 October 2011

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-Hartwell_6-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-Hartwell_6-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-Hartwell_6-2) [Hartwell & Pevsner](#Hartwell), p. 141

1. **[^](#cite_ref-ListedBuildings_7-0)** ["Listed Buildings"](https://web.archive.org/web/20121222203826/http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/caring/listing/listed-buildings/), *National Heritage List for England*, English Heritage, archived from [the original](http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/caring/listing/listed-buildings/) on 22 December 2012, retrieved 10 June 2011

1. **[^](#cite_ref-8)** ["Blackpool Central Library reopens after £3m revamp"](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-lancashire-15197838). *BBC News*. 6 October 2011.

**Sources**

- Hartwell, Clare; [Pevsner, Nikolaus](/source/Nikolaus_Pevsner) (2009) [1969], *[Lancashire: North](/source/Pevsner_Architectural_Guides)*, New Haven and London: [Yale University Press](/source/Yale_University_Press), [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-0-300-12667-9](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-300-12667-9)

- Morris, Edward (2001), *Public Art Collections in North-west England: A History and Guide*, [Liverpool University Press](/source/Liverpool_University_Press), [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [0-85323-527-9](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/0-85323-527-9)

v t e Buildings and structures in Blackpool Grade I Blackpool Tower Grade II* Grand Theatre Winter Gardens Empress Ballroom Opera House Theatre Places of worship Sacred Heart Shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes Grade II Central Library The Elms Odeon Cinema Grundy Art Gallery Little Marton Mill Miners' Convalescent Home Places of worship Bispham United Hebrew Holy Trinity St John Tourism Big Dipper Blue Flyer Grand National Roller Coaster Imperial Hotel North Pier Unlisted Blackpool Pleasure Beach Carleton Crematorium Central Pier Houndshill Shopping Centre Isle of Man to England Interconnector South Pier Trinity Hospice Victoria Hospital Zoo Hotels Cliffs Grand Metropole Norbreck Castle Places of worship Central Mosque Reform Jewish Noor-A-Madina Mosque St Mark St Stephen on-the-Cliffs St Thomas Demolished Alhambra Empire Cinema High Tide Organ Mecca Stanley Park Aerodrome Syndicate Lists Listed

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Central Library, Blackpool](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Central_Library%2C_Blackpool) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Central_Library%2C_Blackpool?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.