Belsize Community Library
& the Friends
Belsize Community Library
Belsize Community Library, situated in Antrim Road, was built in 1937, replacing the original library founded in 1897. The design by architects Gold and Aldridge won widespread acclaim for its use of open–plan spaces. The library continues to be owned by Camden Council but following threatened closure, its management was taken over by the Winchester Project (the Winch) in 2012. In 2016 the library building was granted ‘listed’ status.
Over the years, many Belsize residents, including some of the most vulnerable, have enjoyed the facilities offered in the library, from older people reading the newspapers and looking for human interaction, to mothers with young children who feel isolated and young people looking for a place to do their homework. The library is now a thriving community centre offering a wide variety of activities with many focusing on children. It is also available for hire. However, due to financial constraints, the library is only open from Monday to Wednesday. The initial grant awarded by Camden to the Winch expired and the library continues mainly with the support of grants and generous benefactors. Its future as a library and community space is, therefore, precarious.
Friends of Belsize Community Library
The forerunner organisation of the Friends of Belsize Community Library was established in 1988 in order fight the closure of the library planned at the time. The library was saved and the Friends have continued to provide voluntary community support to the library to raise its profile as a community resource and to ensure the retention and development of library facilities in the building. For many years the Friends have organised monthly events with speakers giving talks on literary, historical and cultural topics. Currently the events take place on the third Thursday of every month and following two years online during the Covid pandemic, resumed in the library in late 2022. These events serve to bring together people from the local community and act as a reminder that the library continues to perform an important local function. Events are listed in the Library and Belsize Society newsletters and displayed on the Village and Haverstock Hill noticeboards.