A bold ashlar building in the Renaissance style located on Strathleven Place, the Dumbarton Library opened in 1910 and remains the principal library for the West Dunbartonshire and the Vale of Leven. A competition-winning design by a local architect, William Reid, the library was constructed in white Dalreoch sandstone and paid for by philanthropist Andrew Carnegie (1835 - 1919). The interior was altered in 1951 and the building was enlarged to the east in 1966-68 but this bare concrete extension has no architectural merit.
Dumbarton Public Library was established by the Town Council in 1881 in the old Abstainers Hall on the High Street. In 1892, it moved to new premises in the Denny Institute adjacent to the Burgh Hall in Church Street. Land was acquired for the new building in 1907 and work began two years later.
Use the tabs on the right of this page to see other parts of this entry
If you have found this information useful please consider making
a donation to help maintain and improve this resource. More info...
