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January 2024 | Important update about Croydon Libraries
The council have been reviewing the changes brought in back in 2021.
They have agreed that the current service isn’t working well for residents, in particular the reduced opening hours and lack of Saturday service.
They are therefore proposing further changes that will be discussed at a meeting on 31st Jan.
Among the proposals they have confirmed they are not seeking further reductions in the library budget or staff cuts, but want to explore ways to free up money in the service to increase opening hours.
If approved by the Council Cabinet then they will go out to public consultation that will run from Feb 2 to April 14.
What does the plan say about the much loved Brutalist Library:
It recognises that the building itself is “held in high regard” and mentions the architectural heritage of the Brutalist Library but also acknowledges the challenges of the space in running the best possible library service.
There is therefore a proposal to conduct a full site review with the Samuel Coleridge-Taylor youth centre next door to create a better overall facility that would also retain the Brutalist architectural heritage.
If it goes it ahead it would make our library one of 3 new community hubs which would offer a range of services to local people.
This community hub would mean our library is open on Saturday and potentially up to 5 or 6 days a week.
The council also restated its plans to use Open+ and security technology to open libraries when staff are not on site. This could further extend opening hours.
A final decision on the plans would be taken in June after the consultation closes.
Please look out for an update from us on the consultation, we need your help completing it. We would like to thank each and every person who has supported our campaign to protect the building and library service so far. We are committed to what’s in the best interest of the community and will continue to do so.
October 2023 | News
Unveiling of two plaques as a tribute to the pivotal roles played by Ethel Fennings, a Suffragist, and Mary Pearsons, a Suffragette, in advocating for women’s right to vote. This history is intertwined with the legacy of our community as their fight for women’s suffrage was in the vicinity of South Norwood Clocktower.
On 22nd October 2023 we hosted the reception following the unveiling of two new plaques honouring the fight for women’s suffrage in South Norwood, made possible through the kind donations by members of our community. Thank you to Historian John Hickman, Designer Ken Baker, Croydon Natural History and Scientific Society, People for Portland Road, We Love SE25, Croydon Library Service, Sarah Jones MP, Little Mouse Cheese and many more for organising such a great event in South Norwood.
You can watch a video of the event here
October 2023 | News
On 17th and 21st October we hosted two workshops entitled 'Portrait of a Brutalist Library' which invited audiences to come and reimagine the space into multiple uses.
“Portrait of a Brutalist Library” brought together residents from the wider South Norwood Community to celebrate their local library through drawing it. In this workshop participants were encouraged to find personal viewpoints of this historic building that consider the Library’s past, present, and future. The project was designed to keep the library at the forefront of people’s minds so this building can continue to serve the people of South Norwood in the coming years.
Funded by a 'Borough of Culture' grant and produced by the team at 'Turf Projects'.
September 2023 | News
A brilliant ‘Open House London’ celebration filled with art, music and architectural history
Over 200 people came down to South Norwood Library on 16th September 2023 and joined us to celebrate our beloved Brutalist gem.
The team at Digital Drama kicked off the day hosting a family friendly screen printing workshop with Becci Kenning, followed by a talk from author and architectural expert John Grindrod and also accompanied by their wonderful Little Manhattan oral history project.
Filling the library with original experimental jazz music was Rosie Turton and fellow musicians who played a beautiful 2-set piece interpreting South Norwood Library. They were followed by the Croydon Youth Jazz Collective led by Odin and friends, who played out the day with some memorable jazz covers. Read more about Jazz at the Brutalist Library in the next paragraph.
Huge thanks as always to the team at Open City for their support. We cannot wait for next year!
Jazz at the Brutalist Library | Open City Animate Programme
So, why Jazz at the Brutalist Library?
Since its opening in 1968, South Norwood Library has always been an inclusive space serving a diverse community. From early photographs you can see school children doing their homework, gentlemen reading the daily newspaper and members of the community relaxing together on stylish mid century modern seating. The archives note the innovation of a much larger and modern vinyl ‘record collection’ which members could borrow alongside browsing the books and a children’s library in the basement. This brutalist gem made quite a groovy impact on its arrival to the otherwise Victorian lined street.
Designed by visionary Borough architect, Hugh Lea, who worked closely with the Chief Librarian, they were determined to create a modern space within an existing framework, which would consider the needs of the community. Yet they also aspired to create a new, future-proof, exciting and architecturally noteworthy building. Like jazz players, they engaged in experimentation, followed hunches, and built on each others’ ideas.
Inviting live musical performance was groundbreaking for an environment usually quiet and calm to sound. The local area is rooted in black musical excellence through the legacy of British composer Samuel Coleridge-Taylor and famed artist Stormzy and we loved bringing young local performers alongside London jazz artists into the space to celebrate its history and architecture.
Bringing lived history to life in our much loved communal space, the modernist, Miesian open-plan design of the library, a perfect setting for a jazz concert - we hope you liked it as much as we did!
July 2023 | News
South Norwood Library shortlisted for an Architecture Today Award.
Nominated by C20 Society and the Brutalist Library Campaign, the library is a finalist in the Cultural and religious Buildings category and will be presented to the award judges in September 2023. It comes after a recent application to list the library was disappointingly rejected by Historic England. 35 projects have been named as finalists in the 2023 Architecture Today Awards for buildings that have stood the test of time. The winners of the Architecture Today Awards will be announced at a party at Tower Hamlets Town Hall on 23 November 2023.
February 2023 | News
Whilst 2022 was an incredible year for the Brutalist Library, we recently received disappointing news:
South Norwood ‘Brutalist’ Library has not been recommended for heritage listing.
Whilst the strong architectural elements and qualities of our Brutalist library were recognised by Historic England, the bar for listing was just too high and only very few post-war branch libraries are on the National List according to the response from the ‘Department for Culture, Media and Sport’
We are very proud of what we (SE25 residents and Brutalist Library supporters from around the world) have achieved together, and we continue our mission with excitement and positivity.
After so much uncertainty, when Mayor Perry was elected he made an early commitment to the importance of libraries generally across the Borough and how they can become hubs for a range of council services. And in September 2022 he confirmed that more than half a million pounds would be invested in South Norwood’s Library to update the facilities and help protect this vital service in a building that is an unique piece of Croydon’s architectural history.
We recognise the financial picture for Croydon is incredibly challenging, but it’s important our leaders stick to their commitments and don’t make cuts today that shortchange the long-term future of our community. South Norwood Library has become a hub for local people already, we want to see this continue to develop in 2023.
