| Passmore Edwards Public Library | |
|---|---|
| Passmore Edwards Library Shepherds Bush.jpg Passmore Edwards Library, Shepherds Bush |
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| General information | |
| Type | Former Library, now a theatre |
| Architectural style | Victorian. |
| Location | Shepherd's Bush |
| Address | Uxbridge Road, London W12 |
| Town or city | London |
| Country | England |
| Current tenants | The Bush Theatre Co |
| Construction started | 1895 |
| Technical details | |
| Structural system | Timber frame, brick. |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect | Maurice Bingham Adams |
The Passmore Edwards Public Library on the Uxbridge Road, Shepherd's Bush, London, was built in 1895 and funded by the journalist and philanthopist Passmore Edwards. It is one of a number of public libraries that still bear his name today.[1]
Contents |
Designed by Maurice Bingham Adams, and originally known as the Passmore Edwards Free Library Hammersmith[2], the project was one of many public libraries built around the end of the nineteenth century by John Passmore Edwards (1823 – 1911)[3][4]. Edwards was a British journalist, newspaper owner and philanthropist. The son of a carpenter, he was born in Blackwater, a small village between Redruth and Truro in Cornwall, United Kingdom.
Maurice Bingham Adams designed five of the Libraries funded by Passmore Edwards. He and Edwards shared a belief in self-help and the importance of good architecture, which would provide the educational institutions required to educate the British working man and help give Britain a competitive edge.[5]
In 2008 a new library was built, part of the massive Westfield London development, and the old library fell into disuse.
In October 2011 the library re-opened as the new home of the Bush Theatre. [6] The building is currently included on the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham's list of Buildings of Merit, deserving of protection. [7]