Shrewsbury Library
Above the main entrance are two statues bearing the inscriptions "Philomathes" and "Polumathes". These represent students, one coming to learn and the other a learned scholar on leaving. The inscription below is from Isocrates and reads "If you are a lover of learning, you will become learned".
History of the building
The original school was founded by Royal charter by King Edward VI in 1552. This is a timber-frame building, now at the rear of the present building. Additional stone buildings were added from 1594 to 1630, including a chapel, dormitories, library and classrooms. The school continued in these, until it was relocated in 1882. Subsequently the premises were converted to a public "Free Library and Museum" by the Shrewsbury Borough Council, opening in their new role in 1885. In the twentieth century the library purpose gradually took over the building. After a period of structural deterioration, followed by extensive restoration work, the buildings were re-opened entirely as Shrewsbury Public Library in 1983.
A plaque erected by The Rotary Club of Shrewsbury, commemorating the club's 60th anniversary in 1986, reads: Castle Gates Library. Founded by Edward VI in 1552, Shrewsbury School occupied this site until 1882. The stone buildings were built 1594-1630. Sir Philip Sidney, Judge Jeffreys and Charles Darwin were educated here. Re-opened as a library in 1983 after complete renovation.
Restoration work
The building required restoration work which was mainly done in the early 1980s. The projected cost was over £3 million, one of the most expensive such works ever undertaken by Shropshire County Council. The library opened in 1983. The work included sand-blasting the main stonework, which looks more modern than 1630 as a result. Work was also done on the original timber-framed building, including repairs to the roof gables. Carvings were done by a local craftsman in the original Tudor style. These include a self-portrait at the apex of the north-facing gable.
Gallery
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Carvings above entrance archway
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Tower and north hall
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Charles Darwin Statue outside front entrance
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Sundials on south end (Old School Room)
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Information plaque
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Pupils' names carved in window sill
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Old School Room ceiling
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Darwin Room ceiling showing heraldic shields
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Darwin Room ceiling showing heraldic shields
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Stained glass window (castle end)
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Stained glass window (other end)
Footnotes
- ^ Historic England. "LIBRARY (1271288)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 10 October 2014.
- ^ Carr, A. M.; Fullman, T. (1983). Shrewsbury Library: its history and restoration. Shrewsbury, England: Shropshire Libraries. ISBN 0903802260.
- ^ Wall plaque by library entrance.
- ^ British History Online. "The corporation of Shrewsbury: The Royal Charters".
- ^ Read All About It! Grand Opening of Shrewsbury's free library 100 years ago. April 1985. pp. 18–19.
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ignored (help)Article by Beryl Copsey. - ^ Shrewsbury Library, Its History and Restoration. Shropshire Libraries. 1983. ISBN 0-903802-26-0.(Unpaginated)
- ^ Information supplied by library staff, 24 January 2009.
References
- Shrewsbury Library - Its History and Restoration, Shropshire Libraries, 1983, ISBN 0-903802-26-0. This booklet is a guide to the buildings and the restoration work. 19th-century photographs of the school rooms are included, as well as a copy of a painting from about 1630. (Cover price 50 pence; 1983)