Walkley Library

Construction of the library began in August 1904 to serve the growing population of Walkley, the suburb had become a popular area with commuters with the arrival of the Sheffield Tramway in the early 1900s. The city's Libraries and Museums Committee were lobbied by various local dignitaries to build a library and the search for a suitable site began. Moor End on Commonside was considered but was deemed unsuitable for a library, in the end, William Craven, an insurance agent from Industry Street found five old cottages at the corner of South Road and Walkley Road which were for sale. Sheffield Corporation paid £1,500 for the land to the owner Mr. William Addy Hall. Local Liberal Councillor…

The building consists of two wings and is in the Tudor Revival style with the stone for the external walls being quarried locally at the Bole Hills quarry at Crookes with the smooth dressing stone around the entrance and windows coming from Stoke Hall at Calver. The building originally had a small ornamental wooden cupola over the entrance hall but this was removed in 1956 after it was deemed to be unsafe. The building is small but quite striking with its large bay windows and distinctive entrance which consists of a portico with six Ionic columns with a curving staircase leading to it.