Barrow-in-Furness Main Public Library

Barrow-in-Furness Main Public Library is a Beaux-Arts building at Ramsden Square featuring classical design elements, symmetrical facades, and ornate architectural details. It occupies a prominent position at the junction of Abbey Road and serves as a cultural anchor for the town center.

The building was funded by the Carnegie Foundation, with construction starting in 1915 but opening delayed until 1922 due to World War I. This delay reflected broader challenges that many Carnegie libraries across Britain faced during the war years.

The building once housed the Furness Museum from 1930 to 1991, displaying objects tied to the area's past before they moved to the Dock Museum. This role shaped how locals view it as a keeper of local heritage.

The building is centrally located and easily reachable on foot from the train station and the town's main shopping streets. The main site has five branch locations across Askam, Barrow Island, Dalton, Roose, and Walney if you prefer a closer location to where you are staying.

The library works with the Cumbria Archive Service, running a shared public searchroom that combines local studies resources with historical archives. Visitors often miss this searchroom, but it holds a noteworthy collection of documents tracing the region's history and development.

Location: Barrow-in-Furness

Inception: 1915

Architectural style: Beaux-Arts

Elevation above the sea: 12 m

Address: Barrow Library, Ramsden Square, Barrow-in-Furness, LA14 1LL

Email: barrow.library@cumbria.gov.uk

Website: https://cumbria.gov.uk/libraries/locations/bar_lib.asp

GPS coordinates: 54.11450,-3.23140

Latest update: December 14, 2025 14:41