The foundation stone for Hyde Library was laid in 1897 by Elizabeth Ashton and the building was opened in 1899 by Letitia Mary Ashton as Hyde Technical School and Free Library.
See the foundation stones on Old Hyde.
It replaced the former Mechanics Institute.
The car park at the side is on the site of the former Hyde Swimming Baths.
I posted about the library in January 2014 and published further photographs of the library on Hyde DP Xtra.
I reported then that whilst in the first round of "council austerity cuts" the public were presented with three "choices" regarding the future of library services. Smaller local libraries were closed in the light of promised improved facilities at main libraries such as Hyde, but now, in a new round of service cuts, the proposal is to move services to the Town Hall and then sell the library building.
An e-petition opposed to those plans can be found at http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/62460.
A contribution to Ruby Tuesday and Our World Tuesday;
This is brilliant thanks for sharing this petition :)
ReplyDeleteThe architectural style's quite distinctive.
ReplyDeleteWell -- Hyde born but living in the US for quite a while -- I'm a tech entrepreneur in Silicon Valley. I got my love of science (and later technology) by more or less living in the children's library (beneath the main library) until I was old enough to get my own library card for the wonderland above it.
ReplyDeleteHyde (and England + UK) should realize that libraries are far from 'nice to haves'. Libraries attract people who want to learn; people who want to learn do things - I'm only sorry that at the time (things have changed?) the UK approach to innovation and my needs to innovate were somewhat incompatible. But it all began below stairs -- and I still remember the books I read in the children's library as though it were yesterday.
So .... if Hyde wants to fight entropy *fund the damn library* ...
On another related note -- I was a student at St George's primary school way back when, and we periodically got paraded to the (Victorian) Hyde Baths to learn how to swim. Like the library I remember that as though it were yesterday ... sadly with a chill in my spine .... the parking lot looks much better ...
Tnx
Alan Littleford
On starting my apprenticeship,I attended Hyde Tech.on a day release scheme.Some good and some bad memories.
ReplyDelete