Swiss Cottage Library: ‘an ideal place to think, read and study’

• IN the west of Camden borough lies one of the most notable of buildings, Swiss Cottage Library, currently being renovated.

Opened in 1957, the library was designed by Sir Basil Spence who was also the architect of Coventry Cathedral.

Inside the library one of the most prominent features is the amount of light that floods the interior.

Today there is space for desktop computers, a decent café, and a play area for little boys and girls which is relatively soundproofed with interior glass. The building provides an ideal place to think, read and study.

Hopefully this will always be the case but if we continue to buy books which are “single use” and to frequent commercial coffee houses then maybe financial exigencies will dictate less fortunate outcomes.

Back in the 1950s some thoughtful minds had words of wisdom etched onto the glass of the ground floor windows.

A Bedouin proverb stated: “A well-stocked brain is the sign of a generous mind”.

The Talmud said: “None is poor, save him that lacks knowledge”.

Finally Groucho Marx said: “I find television very educational. The moment someone turns it on, I go to the library and read a good book.”

CHRISTOPHER MASON
Malden Crescent, NW1