Launceston Library Hub

Launceston Library and Visitor Information Hub is a major new facility in the Cornish town’s historic market square. The adaptive re-use of the Grade II listed former Barclays Bank, will provide a new home for Launceston public library and create a centrally located and accessible hub for public services for the whole community.

Constructed in 1870, the three-storey, purpose-built bank sits in a prominent location in the town and its polychromatic stonework façade and large bracketed clock a symbol of its civic status and public function. The project is seen as a pilot scheme for the town, which is hoped to encourage the reuse of historic buildings to create cultural connections.

The designs and building uses have been developed to support an active high street and to create a prominent and visible public presence for the Library hub. Enhanced accessibility and visual connections to the public realm have been designed, within the constraints of the listed fabric, to encourage local businesses to foster a longer daytime (and nighttime) economy, to create growth in employment and a more resilient and expanding central town economy.

Pupils from four primary schools in Launceston have been helping to develop ideas for the design of the children’s library. Through making ‘stained glass’ windows, the children gave their thoughts on the type of spaces they like to read in and the type of activities they would like the building to host. The design for the building build on their ideas, providing reading nooks and sensory spaces within a new playful structure.

Built in 1870, 6 Broad Street was purpose-designed for the East Cornwall Bank, standing as one of three banks along the street during Launceston’s civic and commercial peak. Historical records suggest the site may have housed a bank since the early 1800s. In 1905, Barclays Bank took ownership, operating there for over a century until its closure in 2022.

Over its long history, the building has undergone significant changes, most notably in the 1980s when major structural alterations were carried out to the interior. The original staircase connecting the ground and first floors was removed and replaced, while larger open-plan banking spaces were created. Other features, such as the stained-glass window and safe doors in the basement strong room, remain as modern relics.

The designs have been developed collaboratively with the Town Council, Library and Visitor Information. Public consultations have also been held, where the building has been open up to visitors. The design process has supported a collective vision: a library as a community asset, that will continue to support the local community and will invigorating the town centre.

The new Library hub is conceptualised as an extension of the town’s market square which it fronts. A space inclusive and open to all, which will provides a flexible, open-plan library at ground floor, activity rooms and spaces for community hire to the first-floor, and town council staff offices and Cornwall Council registry services to the top floor.