Picton Reading Room and Hornby Library

Picton Reading Room and Hornby Library is a building with a curved front decorated with tall Corinthian columns, situated on William Brown Street in Liverpool. The Hornby Library rises behind it, creating a substantial complex that houses reading areas and book collections across multiple levels.

The Picton Reading Room opened in 1879 as a pioneering library that was the first in Britain to have electric lighting throughout all its spaces. This innovation made it a cutting-edge facility during the Victorian era and influenced how other libraries approached modern technology.

The reading spaces are used by students, researchers, and book lovers who come to study and explore historical texts and rare materials. You can sense how these rooms function as places where people engage with knowledge and discover old documents.

The building is open to the public during set hours and offers plenty of seating and study spaces for visitors. Come early in the day if you prefer quieter periods, as afternoons and weekends can get crowded with students and researchers.

The curved front of the building was deliberately designed to fit a specific angle between the surrounding structures on the street. The column placement solves this geometric challenge while creating a memorable architectural feature that visitors often overlook at first glance.

Location: Liverpool

Inception: 1906

Architects: Cornelius Sherlock

Elevation above the sea: 22.3431 m

Part of: Liverpool Central Library

GPS coordinates: 53.41000,-2.98000

Latest update: December 11, 2025 11:02