The Building
Designed by Liverpool's City Surveyor Thomas Shelmerdine, the Grade II* listed Everton Library (opened 1896) is widely celebrated as a masterpiece of late-Victorian public architecture. Its design brilliantly solved a dual challenge: showcasing civic pride on a tight budget, and physically separating the quiet public library from the noisy, hands-on Technical Institute.
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Shelmerdine eschewed the rigid Gothic or classical styles popular earlier in the Victorian era. Instead, he embraced the Free Jacobean style (mixed with Arts and Crafts elements), which gave the building a striking, dynamic silhouette.
Material Contrast: It features a rugged, defensive ground floor of grey stone masonry, contrasted sharply by bright red brickwork and intricate terracotta detailing on the upper levels.
The Roofline: The building features three massive, dramatic stepped gables that immediately catch the eye along the Everton Brow ridge.
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The most famous element of the exterior is the octagonal beacon tower on the corner of St Domingo Road and Beacon Lane.
The "Lighthouse" Analogy: Built with alternating bands of brick and stone, it terminates in a fanciful, open-arched timber cupola with a sharp, lead-covered spire.
The Function: Beyond looking magnificent, it acted as a literal and symbolic "beacon of learning"visible across the industrial landscape and the River Mersey.
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The cleverest aspect of Shelmerdine’s floor plan was how he stacked the building's two conflicting functions to avoid noise disruption.
The Ground Floor (The Library): Dedicated entirely to quiet public reading. It featured a vast, stone-dressed open-plan space with immense, multi-light mullioned windows to maximize the natural daylight flowing onto the reading desks.
The Upper Floor (The Technical Institute): Accessed via separate internal circulation routes to contain noise. It housed the practical, hands-on workshop rooms, laboratories, and lecture spaces for the courses.
The Ceiling Structure: The upper level featured a dramatic, beautifully engineered barrel-vaulted ceiling supported by exposed iron and timber ribbing, giving the workshops maximum vertical clearance and ventilation.
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Shelmerdine did not rely on generic mass-produced Victorian moulds. He injected bespoke craftsmanship into the building's exterior fabric.
Art Nouveau Lettering: The exterior stone friezes feature stylized, sweeping Art Nouveau typography carved directly into the stone to designate room functions.
• Ornate Rainwater Goods: Even the functional elements were decorative, featuring highly detailed cast-iron rainwater hopper heads and downpipes bearing the Liverpool civic crest and the date 1896.
What makes everton library so special?
The former Everton Library and Technical School embodies many social, historic and architectural values. It is significant on a national, regional and local scale.
Built between 1895 and 1896, the former Everton Library and Technical School is a Grade II listed building.
The exterior of the building is a skilful, striking and high quality design which bears comparison with the work of some of the great Arts and Crafts architects of the period.
Its combination of technical school and library is a rare example of the publicly funded integration of education and practical training
It played a central role in the lives of Everton residents living in one of the most densely populated and notoriously poor areas in the country.
In an area of deprivation, physical and social upheaval the building stands out as an icon of stability and aspiration.
Everton Library was the result of collaboration between two highly significant individuals: Thomas Shelmerdine and Peter Cowell.
Shelmerdine is of regional and perhaps national interest as an outstanding city architect of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.Everton Library is among the best of Thomas Shelmerdine’s many surviving buildings and is substantially intact. Note: now that Lister Drive Library was re-opened in 2020, Everton Library is now the only Thomas Shelmerdine building in the City left in a state of decay.
Cowell is of regional and national interest as a pioneer in free public libraries and founder of librarianship as a profession in Britain..
Liverpool’s turn-of-the-century branch libraries represent a nationally unique and distinctive group of buildings which deserve greater recognition and study. Everton is the finest among this group
The above is predominantly taken from Donald Insall Associates Conservation Statement that accompanied previous planning approvals 14F/1106 and 14L/1107.
timeline
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6 July 1895 Inaugural Ceremony. ‘Following a progressive policy in educational work the committee of the Corporation, who have charge of carrying out the Provisions of the Public Libraries Act, are about to erect in the Everton district a free lending library which will doubtless be much appreciated by a somewhat crowded industrial population. The site of the new building, the foundation stone of which was well and truly laid yesterday afternoon (5th July, 1895) is in St Domingo Road, Everton and is exactly opposite St George’s Church. In addition the library will also house a large news room’. Liverpool Mercury
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‘The Lord Mayor, in opening the new Everton Branch Library yesterday (Friday, 9 October 1896), referred to the march other nations had stolen upon us, and said the appeal for technical education which sprang up 15 years ago had flourished with such rapidity as sometimes to give its earnest friends some fear as to whether the impetus was not almost too great to last. He did not believe that under ordinary circumstances this was so, and urged those in control of technical instruction to be continually pressing forward’. This article explains more of the context for and what is meant by Technical education in the late C19th and early C20th.
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Becomes offices for charities.
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As the building becomes too expensive to maintain (heating and damp).
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A £248k Heritage lottery grant is announced for the restoration of Everton Library. http://hiddenliverpool.org.uk/memories/map/item/25-everton-library/25-everton-library
https://streetsofliverpool.co.uk/everton-library-another-building-saved/
https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/liverpool-news/5m-dream-jewel-hill-library-3342257
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Heritage Works pull out and Hope Street tries to re-work business case. LCC commits £750k.
Can’t stack up. 2016 plan abandoned, electricity switched off, alarms switched off and lead is stripped from the roof.
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Expression of Interest put out by Liverpool City Council. PollyPort CIC applies with £1m of private investment and holds events with esteemed architects and designers. AHF invest in viability work. The investor visits and the building is deemed to be structurally sound. Liverpool City Council promise works on the roof. The investor pulls out during the pandemic. The campaign continues in difficult circumstances with high turnover of staff at the Council. Some repairworks are commissioned in 2022.
The Victorian Society nominated Everton Library amongst their Top Ten Buildings At Risk in 2019
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Over 120 Ambassadors give their support to the OPEN Campaign. Despite positioning meetings with MP and Deputy Mayor, the Levelling Up bid for North Liverpool is diverted to Great Homer Street Market. 3 campaign leaders suffer from decline in health and, without the promise of investment, the group take a pause, agreeing to set up a Community Benefit Society (which then happens in 2025). Council Officer says that future Levelling Up can be directed to Everton Library.
In 2019 Harrison Stringfellow, Curtin’s and PollyPort CIC guided LJMU Architecture Students to produce this report
Curtins Liverpool created a Matterport scan of the building in 2019. Take a tour around the building by clicking here: