Swiss Cottage Library | |
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Clockwise from top: length as viewed from Finchley Road; ground floor of the reference library; south-facing aerial view | |
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51°32′33″N 0°10′24″W / 51.5424°N 0.1733°W | |
Type | public library |
Established | 10 November 1964 | as Hampstead Central Library
Architect(s) | Basil Spence |
Service area | London Borough of Camden |
Collection | |
Size | 128,650 ![]() |
Other information | |
Website | www |
Building details | |
General information | |
Address | 88 Avenue Road London NW3 3HA |
Construction started | 31 December 1962 |
Cost | £200,000 (equivalent to £4.7 million in 2019) |
Owner | London Borough of Camden |
Technical details | |
Floor count | 3 |
Floor area | 5,470 square metres (58,880 sq ft)[1] |
Listed Building – Grade II | |
Official name | Swiss Cottage Library |
Designated | 2 December 1997 |
Reference no. | 1272259 |
Swiss Cottage Library is a public library in the London Borough of Camden housed in an architectural landmark building on Avenue Road. Designed by Sir Basil Spence of Spence, Bonnington & Collins, it was built between 1963 and 1964.
It replaced the former Metropolitan Borough of Hampstead's main library, Finchley Road Library, which had suffered damage during the Blitz and lacked sufficient capacity. The new library was originally part of a larger civic project designed to regenerate the wider Swiss Cottage area, but following reorganisations in local government only it and the adjoining swimming baths were built.
The building shows a more open, fluid architectural style compared to other contemporary libraries, with distinct fins revolving around the exterior. Opened by Queen Elizabeth II on 10 November 1964, the library has been Grade II listed since 1997, and was refurbished in the early 2000s as part of the Swiss Cottage Centre redevelopment.
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