Kilburn

New Kilburn Library and Community Facilities at 12-22 Kilburn High Road

Service Provision.
The new facilities are open 6 days (52 hours) a week as follows:

Monday 10am 7pm
Tuesday 11am 7pm
Wednesday 10am 7pm
Thursday 10am - 7pm
Friday 10am 7pm
Saturday 10am 5pm

IT provision
The new facility has a total of 40 PCs available for public use.
Learning Centre - 16 PCs
Childrens area - 8 PCs,
Classroom - 4
Clusters for open booking / Internet etc 12

Layout of services

Ground Floor
Main library area with reception point.
Film and Music sections
Listening post, viewing facilities
Plasma screen
Café and seating (plus café terrace outside)
Self service issue point
6 public toilets

Mezzanine (Family and Learning)
Learning Centre 16 students
Classroom for 12 students (basic skills classes, space for small 6th form classes)
Clusters of bookable computers for internet / personal use
Study area
Quiet reading lounge by picture windows
Disabled access toilet
Staff office and kitchen

Lower Ground Floor KYC
Offices
Advice centre
Interview rooms
Sexual health suite
Sound recording studio
Hangout space

Partner arrangements
The main Heads of Terms have been agreed with KYC and an in principle approval secured from their Board. Final discussions are now taking place around the detail of the lease and related side agreement.

Negotiations with the Camden Society have not resulted in an agreed Head of Terms. The Council has been consistent in applying agreed policy in respect of rents and was unable to formalise an agreement in October 2005. However, discussions with the Camden Society are continuing and no commitment has been given to an alternative provider.

Increased stock provision
The Executive Cmmt. has approved an additional and one-off £150,000 for library materials. This investment will straddle 2005/06 and 2006/07 and priority will be given to Kilburn Library and Kentish Town Library.

Partnership and Marketing
Partnership work planning with KYC is underway and will help extend services to young people and include the flexible sharing of space throughout the building to engage this client group

Library Staff have completed a community profile and are now actively planning activities and engaging with local groups to encourage an early series of visits and tours of the new facility.

Publicity will be displayed on the inside of the front of the building (visible from the outside) to publicise the launch on March 25th. Work is now progressing to timetable the launch day as well as to deliver a programme of events throughout April.

A Short History of Kilburn Library

In October 1894, Hampstead Vestry had opened a temporary library at 48 Priory Road to serve the Kilburn area. Two years later it was decided to build a permanent library, but a suitable site had to be found. At first a sub-committee consulted with Sir Maryon-Wilson, the Lord of the Manor, about the possibility of obtaining a piece of ground in Britannia Fields (the name given to the area between Priory Road and Finchley Road). This proved impossible and the Vestry decided to make an offer for a portion of The Chimes estate on the corner of Quex Road and West End Lane. In February 1897 the sub-committee recommended that the Vestry should purchase the land from the owner, Mr T. Yeo, for £1200. However they were unsuccessful, so in August 1898 they next attempted to buy a plot in Mazenod Avenue for £1000, but in September 1898 they were informed that the new owner had withdrawn the offer. Finally, in April 1899 the Vestry made enquires about land in Cotleigh Road. It belonged to two separate owners but they were told that they could obtain the freehold for £1200 from a Mr Wright. In November 1899 they decided to go ahead, and to finance the purchase an application was made to the London County Council for a loan of £1200, to be repaid over 50 years. In May 1900 they looked at several designs for the building and accepted one prepared by Charles Lowe, the Hampstead Borough Surveyor, at an estimated cost of £2486, which included the counters but no other fittings. In August that year they asked the Local Government Board for permission to raise £3080 for the building. In July 1901 a letter was received from the LCC saying they were prepared to advance a loan of £2590 for the erection of building, to be paid back within 30 years.

A tender was put out, and in May 1901 they received bids from ten builders for the Library. These ranged from £3047 to £2400. They decide to accept the lowest, which came from John Christie, of Richmond Road, Uxbridge. In October they also accepted a bid of £250 from the North of England School Furnishing Company of Darlington to supply the fittings.

The temporary library at 48 Priory Road was closed on the 31 December 1901. The Librarian was instructed to open the news room at the new Library on the 6 February 1902. This was to be done without public ceremony, as the formal opening was deferred until the completion of the lending department. Finally, the Mayor formally opened the Library on 9 July 1902.
After a hundred years of use, in August 2002 the Camden Leisure and Community Services Committee agreed to the relocation of Cotleigh Road Library to a new building at 12-22 Kilburn High Road.

In October 2002 Colin Buchanan and Partners were commissioned by Camden Council to undertake a feasibility study into the future use of the Cotleigh Library building. They reported in July 2003 and recommended West Hampstead Womens Centre as the preferred bidder for use of the building. The survey of the building found that it was in fairly good physical condition, but that it would require work totalling £210,725. It was estimated that it had a current rental value of £32,000 per annum. The value of the freehold site was estimated at a market value of £820,000, more if it were demolished and a new residential block permitted. If it was decided that the existing building must be retained for community use then the valuation was likely to be half this figure. There is a legal comment at the end of the Council minutes which says that the ownership of the land is subject to covenants restrictions and agreements as to the mode of building contained in a deed dated 6 April 1883. However, a copy of this deed is not held with the title deeds for this land. The Land Registry is unable to produce a copy and the Camden Borough Solicitor has not seen the deed and was therefore unable to advise on the nature of the restrictions.

From our research we believe that the deed must relate to the sale of the large Oaklands Hall estate, previously the home of Sir Charles Murray, off West End Lane. The first part of the sale was in March 1883 and the plots which were used for the library were sold then, so the April deed referred to above by the Borough Solicitor was probably when the land was formally conveyed to the new owners.
Dick Weindling and Marianne Colloms

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Cotleigh Road Site Situation - February 2006

The lease negotiations with West Hampstead Women's Centre are continuing and there are only a few issues left to resolve. The WHWC needs to raise £100,000 in capital and, so far, has raised £85k. Once the target has been reached, the lease will be signed and the building works will commence.

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