Everton Library is located on the east side of St Domingo Road at the junction with Beacon Lane about two-and-a-half miles north east of Liverpool City Centre. The property lies in a predominantly residential area, within the Housing Market Renewal Initiative area, and is a short distance from Everton Park. The property comprises three parts: the former Everton Library, and two brownfield sites, one directly abutting the Library to the north and the second site on the opposite side of Beacon Lane.
The Library was built in 1896 by Thomas Shelmerdine, Liverpool Corporation's prolific Architect and Surveyor, and is constructed of brick and stone with a tiled roof on a triangular shaped site. The building is in an eclectic Jacobean/Arts and Crafts style and is grade 2 listed. It is a distinctive landmark on the brow of the hill, with an ornamental octagonal corner turret at the corner of St Domingo Road/Beacon Lane. The two-storey building has a substantial basement, originally used for craft classes, and a roof terrace commanding spectacular views of the Mersey Estuary and towards Blackpool and the Pennines. The ground floor was originally laid out open-plan with a huge glass vaulted ceiling over the main reading room, and mezzanine galleries. In recent years, a number of partitions have been erected within the principal rooms to create small offices.
Contributing to the complexity of the building is the fact that the building is split into two parts, accessed separately. The training school occupied the basement and part of the first floor, with the Library sandwiched in between - but with no connection between the parts. Modern doorways and staircases have been inserted, complicating the circulation and providing no access for the less able. Heritage Works' design studies have shown how the circulation can be rationalised and disabled access provided so that all parts of the building can be accessed from a central foyer. A small extension on land to the north will help to address vertical circulation and fire escape issues, with the potential for future expansion.
Heritage Works Buildings Preservation Trust in partnership with Hope Street Ltd and Liverpool City Council has received initial support including £284,400 development funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) for the Jewel on the Hill project, to help progress detailed plans towards the application for a full grant. This funding will allow a development stage to run from July 2012 until Autumn 2013 when the full grant application will be submitted and other matched funding sought towards what will be a £5 million project. If all is successful the building will be fully back in use by Autumn 2016
The Library was built in 1896 by Thomas Shelmerdine, Liverpool Corporation's prolific Architect and Surveyor, and is constructed of brick and stone with a tiled roof on a triangular shaped site. The building is in an eclectic Jacobean/Arts and Crafts style and is grade 2 listed. It is a distinctive landmark on the brow of the hill, with an ornamental octagonal corner turret at the corner of St Domingo Road/Beacon Lane. The two-storey building has a substantial basement, originally used for craft classes, and a roof terrace commanding spectacular views of the Mersey Estuary and towards Blackpool and the Pennines. The ground floor was originally laid out open-plan with a huge glass vaulted ceiling over the main reading room, and mezzanine galleries. In recent years, a number of partitions have been erected within the principal rooms to create small offices.
Contributing to the complexity of the building is the fact that the building is split into two parts, accessed separately. The training school occupied the basement and part of the first floor, with the Library sandwiched in between - but with no connection between the parts. Modern doorways and staircases have been inserted, complicating the circulation and providing no access for the less able. Heritage Works' design studies have shown how the circulation can be rationalised and disabled access provided so that all parts of the building can be accessed from a central foyer. A small extension on land to the north will help to address vertical circulation and fire escape issues, with the potential for future expansion.
Heritage Works Buildings Preservation Trust in partnership with Hope Street Ltd and Liverpool City Council has received initial support including £284,400 development funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) for the Jewel on the Hill project, to help progress detailed plans towards the application for a full grant. This funding will allow a development stage to run from July 2012 until Autumn 2013 when the full grant application will be submitted and other matched funding sought towards what will be a £5 million project. If all is successful the building will be fully back in use by Autumn 2016
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