Susie is a Senior Architectural Historian with Historic England who was involved with a national listing survey of public libraries in 2016. Belsize Library was one of the successful candidates that was listed by the DCMS as being of special architectural and historic interest as a result of the survey.  

This illustrated talk will set out the key

points in the development of our public library buildings, with examples of the best

of the type that are worthy of preservation.

Laura is Professor of Modern British History at the University of Warwick. Her area of interest is feminist and labour movements in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. In the early 20th century Belsize and its environs was home to many progressives and feminists. Yet there are no blue plaques commemorating the numerous servants who lived alongside them and whose domestic labour made their intellectual and political work possible. This talk offers an insight into the everyday lives and work of Belsize's domestic servants while also telling the story of the militant Domestic Workers' Union founded in 1910 whose office was located at 211 Belsize Rd.

Dr Charlie Knight is an Honorary Fellow at the Parkes Institute for the Study of Jewish/non-Jewish Relations, University of Southampton, and a Research Fellow on the ISF funded project 'The Nature of German Jews: Environmental Identities in Transition, 1870-1945'. He has held fellowships at the Weidenfeld Institute, University of Sussex, and the Institute of Languages, Cultures and Societies at the School of Advanced Study, University of London. He completed his PhD entitled ‘German-Jewish Letters and the Holocaust, 1933-45’ at the University of Southampton in 2025. Charlie is author of numerous articles on German-Jewish and Holocaust history, and is the co-editor on a number of special issues and edited collections including Holocaust Letters: Methodologies, Cases, and Reflections (Bloomsbury, 2026). He is a member of the Board of the Leo Baeck Institute London.

A long-time resident of Belsize Park, David is an award-winning cinematographer, NW3 specialist historian, architectural photographer, director, and graphic designer. His richly illustrated talk, based on his book of the same name, unveils the rich social and architectural heritage of the area, his photography offering a unique view of these homes, capturing grand hallways, cozy nooks, gardens and terraces. He delves into the secrets of these architectural gems, uncovering their stories, famed architects, and notable past residents.

Averil is a former chair of Belsize Residents Association and a local historian, who has led regular walks in the area and spoken previously at the library on aspects of local history. Her talk, delivered on the precise date of the 90th anniversary of the library, will include the history and development of the immediate area, the subscription libraries that predated the Vestry ones, Hampstead Vestry and Borough Councils attitude to libraries, the two Belsize library buildings (1897 and 1937), the battle to keep the library, the role of the Friends, local writers and the Winch. 

Join us to celebrate 90 years of Belsize Community Library.

Among our special guests will be local resident and TV personality Victoria Coren Mitchell and MP for Hampstead and Highgate Tulip Siddiq.

Explore our 90th anniversary exhibition, enjoy live music and refreshments, and celebrate with friends, neighbours and fellow library supporters.