Irreplaceable Baroque library under attack from vandals, thieves and arsonists
Grade II-listed, 1909, Henry Price
The former Crumpsall and Cheetham District Library stopped lending books back in 1974, after which it was used as a community centre. It is now fenced in and boarded up, with water seeping in through the roof. It was designed by the City Architect, Henry Price, and is composed of two symmetrical wings carrying four cartouches inscribed with the names of Scott, Milton, Shakespeare and Dickens. Inside the walls are peeling and pigeons have left their destructive mark, though many original features still remain, albeit in a bad state. The former library is now privately owned and the Council has requested that a full structural survey is carried out. This building sits at the heart of the community and is crying out for a new use.
Ian Dungavell, Director of the The Victorian Society said ‘This wonderful Edwardian Baroque library should be a focal point for Cheetham. But instead of attracting a community use its visible neglect only draws in thieves, vandals and even arsonists. In the short term it desperately needs to be made secure and watertight’.
Status Update / March 2026
Following a transfer of ownership in 2015, it was hoped that works would be undertaken to repair and restore the building. This never came to pass and in 2023, enforcement action was issued against the new owners, who continue to obstruct local authority efforts to secure and restore the building. As part of a recent regeneration study, the library is currently under active consideration as a possible ‘opportunity site’.