Interior Walls

Entrance Hall, West Bromwich Library, 1907 – Architect: Stephen James Holliday

In an effort to retain clear lines of sight as well as to maintain hygienic surfaces, glazed partitions and glazed ceramic wall tiles were used. The following pages illustrate the extent to which these norms prevailed.

Previous work has identified the means by which maximum levels of daylight illumination were originally prioritised to enable internal surveillance. West Bromwich Library has possibly the most lavish combination of decorative architectural faience, wall paintings, mosaics and stained glass of all UK Carnegie Libraries but has recently suffered from theft and damage externally.