Central Library, Blackpool
public library in Blackpool, Lancashire, England
Central Library is a public library in Blackpool, Lancashire, England, operated by the Blackpool Council.. The building that contains the library and the Grundy Art Gallery has been designated a Grade II listed building by English Heritage.
History
In 1908, a site was picked for a new library and art gallery on Queen Street. It was partly financed by Bury artists Cuthbert and John Grundy. Construction started on the building in 1909, and it was completed in 1911. It was designed by Scottish architecture firm Cullen, Lochhead and Brown, who had won a competition for the project. In August 2010, the library closed to the public to undergo a year-long renovation that cost £3 million. It reopened on 26 September 2011. The Library celebrated its centenary on 26 October 2011.
Architecture
The library is in the Edwardian Baroque style.
“Central Library, Blackpool” enters the record as public library in Blackpool, Lancashire, England. Crown Archives preserves that source wording while asking what Central, Library and Blackpool can confirm, complicate or overturn.
Why this record matters
“Central Library, Blackpool” is worth following because a concise public description often conceals a longer documentary argument. Here, Central, Library and Blackpool provides the most credible route into that argument.
Maps, plans, fabric surveys and administrative records can establish how the site’s name, extent and function changed over time. The source revision retrieved here is dated Jul 16, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q5061357. Authority coordinates are 53.821, -3.053. 2 of 3 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1908, 1909, 1911 and 2010.
A single description cannot reconcile every naming convention, rebuilding phase or administrative transfer associated with a place. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.
- Historic place names
- Jurisdictional context
- Routes into maps and plans
Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Central Library, Blackpool”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Central Library, Blackpool primary sources, Central Library, Blackpool archive and Central research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Central Library, Blackpool”?
- Which authority defined the place, boundary or structure at the relevant date?
- Which earlier names or jurisdictions may reveal additional records?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Central Library, Blackpool” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.