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The Public Free Library, Stoke -On -Trent

30th October 2015

The Public Free Library in Stoke-on-Trent has a handsome tiled mural celebrating the work of William Shakespeare.

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The Library was designed by Charles Lynam in the Arts and Crafts style.

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Charles Lynam was a well-regarded Staffordshire architect who you may have heard of due to his work on All Saints’ Church, Madeley.

The building has been built from locally produced materials including blue and red bricks,terracotta and tiles.

Mr Colin Campbell, MP donated the site, the public free library cost £2,850 to build.

The foundation stone was laid by Lord Wrottesley,Lord Lieutenant of the County on the 10th of December 1877.

The formal opening of the building was on the 7th of November 1878 by Mr Colin Minton Campbell but it was not until the 20th of December that books were issued

I found a very interesting article on the Public Free Library at http://www.thepotteries.org/tour/089.htm

After researching this blog I found out about The Madeley parish church (which has Norman origins) was rebuilt in 1872 using Lynam’s design.I shall go visit as the church has three specially commissioned pre-Raphaelite windows: one by Edward Burne Jones, one by William Morris and a third by Ford Maddox Brown.

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