This one is almost literally at the end of my street so I’ve been round a few times, on the last occasion to chase away some kids I saw climbing in with spray cans.
It’s been in the same semi-stripped state for years and nothing much has happened until recently when all the cherry blossom trees were cut down and red wooden hoarding went up.
As renovation is apparently about to begin in earnest I went for a last look before it gets turned into even more of a building site.
History. Built 1904, closed 2006. In 2012 Lister Steps, a local community based charity, was awarded a National Lottery Heritage Fund grant to renovate the building, with some help from the council, who own it.
Lister Steps are currently based in portacabins on wasteland nearby (the site of a former power station) and promise “a licensed café, an events space, a healthy food takeaway, a co-working space and facilities to help local people socialise, learn new skills and hobbies.”
As a (now ex) Liverpool standard explore there are several reports on here - Gone’s one from 2010 makes an interesting comparison because there were still some books left.
Albino-jay https://www.28dayslater.co.uk/threads/andrew-carnegie-lister-drive-library-liverpool-may17.110304/
Gronk https://www.28dayslater.co.uk/threads/lister-drive-library-liverpool-may-2017.108870/
Lavino https://www.28dayslater.co.uk/threa...carnegie-library-liverpool-april-2017.108210/
Urban Artists https://www.28dayslater.co.uk/threads/west-derby-lister-library-october-2016.106311/
The Man in Black https://www.28dayslater.co.uk/threa...a-lister-library-liverpool-august-2015.99473/
Gone https://www.28dayslater.co.uk/threa...er-drive-library-liverpool-a-july-2010.52450/
Old photos are from a Liverpool Echo article https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/incoming/gallery/stop-rot-photos-letters-found-10521382
This place is much like the Everton Library but with fewer pigeons; a pretty building with some Nouveau touches but little else inside.
In fact it’s by the same architect, Shelmerdine, who did several libraries in Liverpool.
Pictures are from a couple of visits - the builders had kindly left the lights on for one of them.
Then and now.
Plan of the ground floor - note the separate entrance and reading room for the ladies.
View of the front door from the main entrance foyer.
Looking into the building, there are two large and quite similar reading rooms, boys and girls on the left, and general (originally men’s) room on the right, with the lending dept. straight ahead.
Window into the general reading room.
These seem to be board-backed decorative ceiling panels.
Into the central space.
Several of these skylights in the floor (laylights) in upstairs rooms.
A rummage around the shelving didn’t yield much.
A phone pic of junior on the roof taken years ago.
It’s been in the same semi-stripped state for years and nothing much has happened until recently when all the cherry blossom trees were cut down and red wooden hoarding went up.
As renovation is apparently about to begin in earnest I went for a last look before it gets turned into even more of a building site.
History. Built 1904, closed 2006. In 2012 Lister Steps, a local community based charity, was awarded a National Lottery Heritage Fund grant to renovate the building, with some help from the council, who own it.
Lister Steps are currently based in portacabins on wasteland nearby (the site of a former power station) and promise “a licensed café, an events space, a healthy food takeaway, a co-working space and facilities to help local people socialise, learn new skills and hobbies.”
As a (now ex) Liverpool standard explore there are several reports on here - Gone’s one from 2010 makes an interesting comparison because there were still some books left.
Albino-jay https://www.28dayslater.co.uk/threads/andrew-carnegie-lister-drive-library-liverpool-may17.110304/
Gronk https://www.28dayslater.co.uk/threads/lister-drive-library-liverpool-may-2017.108870/
Lavino https://www.28dayslater.co.uk/threa...carnegie-library-liverpool-april-2017.108210/
Urban Artists https://www.28dayslater.co.uk/threads/west-derby-lister-library-october-2016.106311/
The Man in Black https://www.28dayslater.co.uk/threa...a-lister-library-liverpool-august-2015.99473/
Gone https://www.28dayslater.co.uk/threa...er-drive-library-liverpool-a-july-2010.52450/
Old photos are from a Liverpool Echo article https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/incoming/gallery/stop-rot-photos-letters-found-10521382
This place is much like the Everton Library but with fewer pigeons; a pretty building with some Nouveau touches but little else inside.
In fact it’s by the same architect, Shelmerdine, who did several libraries in Liverpool.
Pictures are from a couple of visits - the builders had kindly left the lights on for one of them.
Then and now.
Plan of the ground floor - note the separate entrance and reading room for the ladies.
View of the front door from the main entrance foyer.
Looking into the building, there are two large and quite similar reading rooms, boys and girls on the left, and general (originally men’s) room on the right, with the lending dept. straight ahead.
Window into the general reading room.
These seem to be board-backed decorative ceiling panels.
Into the central space.
Several of these skylights in the floor (laylights) in upstairs rooms.
A rummage around the shelving didn’t yield much.
A phone pic of junior on the roof taken years ago.
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