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Picton Reading Room and Hornby Library

1879 establishments in EnglandAC with 0 elementsGrade II* listed buildings in LiverpoolGrade II* listed library buildingsLibraries in Liverpool
Library buildings completed in 1879Library buildings completed in 1906Merseyside building and structure stubsPublic libraries in MerseysideUse British English from April 2015
Picton Library, William Brown Street, Liverpool. geograph.org.uk 147134
Picton Library, William Brown Street, Liverpool. geograph.org.uk 147134

The Picton Reading Room and Hornby Library are two grade II* listed buildings on William Brown Street, Liverpool, England, which now form part of the Liverpool Central Library. The chairman of the William Brown Library and Museum, Sir James Picton, laid the foundation stone of the Picton Reading Room in 1875. It was designed by Cornelius Sherlock, and modelled after the British Museum Reading Room, and was the first electrically lit library in the UK. It was completed in 1879 formally opened by the Mayor of Liverpool, Sir Thomas Bland Royden. The front is semicircular with Corinthian columns, and the shape was chosen by the architect to cover the change in the axis of the row of buildings at this point. The Hornby Reading Room (named after Hugh Frederick Hornby) by Thomas Shelmerdine was added in 1906. It stands behind the older building and the interior is decorated in the Edwardian Imperial style.

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Picton Reading Room and Hornby Library
Cuerden Street, Liverpool Vauxhall

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N 53.41 ° E -2.98 °
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Cuerden Street
L3 8EL Liverpool, Vauxhall
England, United Kingdom
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Picton Library, William Brown Street, Liverpool. geograph.org.uk 147134
Picton Library, William Brown Street, Liverpool. geograph.org.uk 147134
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William Brown Library and Museum
William Brown Library and Museum

The William Brown Library and Museum is a Grade II* listed building situated on the historic William Brown Street in Liverpool, England. The building currently houses part of the World Museum Liverpool and Liverpool Central Library. The William Brown Library and Museum building was conceived as a replacement for the Derby Museum (containing the Earl of Derby's natural history collection) which then shared two rooms on the city's Duke Street with a library. The land for the building on what was then called Shaw's Brow as well as much of the funding was provided by local MP and merchant Sir William Brown, 1st Baronet of Astrop, in whose honour the street was renamed. Following on from the then-recently completed St. George's Hall across the street, the new building was designed by Thomas Allom in a classical style including Corinthian columns and was modified by the Liverpool Corporation architect John Weightman. The new building opened its doors in 1860 with 400,000 people attending the opening ceremony. With Liverpool being one of the country's key ports, much of the city was badly damaged by German bombing during the Second World War and William Brown Library and Museum were no exception. Hit by firebombs during the blitz in 1941, the building was ravaged by fire and much of the building had to be rebuilt. Key parts of the museum's collection had been previously moved to less vulnerable locations and damage to those avoided. Plans have now been brought forward to redevelop the library, replacing the post–World War II additions with state-of-the-art facilities.