Tuesday 31st March 2009 was a sad day in the history of Wolverhampton's Library Service, as four local libraries shut their doors for the last time - a fifth, Bradmore Community Library, had already closed for good last Saturday (28th March). I was very fond of all of the libraries concerned, and yesterday's outing gave me a final chance to visit three of them...
After a spot of shopping in Wolverhampton, I caught the 126 up to the Spread Eagle and made my way to Mary Pointon Library. The library was situated on Upper Ettingshall Road, part of a complex of buildings that also includes Woodcross Community Centre and the Manor Primary School. Here it served the residents of Ettingshall and Woodcross, and occupied a small room within the old school buildings. The library actually had quite a bright, airy feel to it, with large windows and a few potted plants, and it contained a couple of public computers, a reading table, the library counter and an arrangement of shelving units providing fiction, non-fiction and the children's section in the far corner. A nice facility then, popular with the neighbouring school, but the fact it was only open 15 hours a week and simply did not attract enough visitors meant it was economically unviable at a time when the Council is facing serious budgetary problems. The plan is that the library will be replaced with an unstaffed deposit collection, and that the school will use the room for educational purposes. Farewell Mary Pointon!
The goodbye tour was well underway, but I decided to do a bit of bonus Dudley exploration before visiting the next library. My walk took me down into Coseley, where I lamented the loss of The Boat pub on Havacre Lane (the site now contains mounds of earth and gravel) before tracking down a couple of backstreet pubs, the Rising Sun on Darkhouse Lane and then the Rollers Arms. A brief look at Coseley Station was followed by photos of the Painters Arms (a traditional Holden's local on Avenue Road) and the Unitarian Chapel. My next photo candidate rather unexpectedly added to the day's theme of local facilities threatened with closure, as whilst getting shots of Coseley Swimming Pool, I got chatting to some of the staff there who told me the baths is due to shut in August. Again this seems to be such a shame, so I wish everyone the best of luck in their campaign to keep the pool open.
From the baths I wend my way round by the cricket ground and up past Christ Church before continuing past the White House pub and Netto into Daisy Bank. Just across the border into Wolverhampton is Daisy Bank Library, housed along with the community centre in the very imposing Board Schools building on Ash Street, from where it served the residents of Daisy Bank and Bradley. The building looks old and rather foreboding from the outside, and heading inside is almost like stepping back in time to the days of dark brown shelving and musty smells. In truth, the library did feel somewhat tired and dated, but I felt that was part its charm. Like Mary Pointon, the library was open 15 hours a week and a lack of patronage again made the facility uneconomical. Add in problems with vandalism and the fact that the library wasn't considered safe enough for staff to lone-work there, and the case for closure was pretty compelling. An unstaffed deposit collection is also planned for this site. Farewell Daisy Bank!
Time is ticking along, and I need to get moving if I'm to make my final library of the day. I check the bus times and find I have a spare ten minutes, just enough time to hunt down the Brittania pub on Hall Green Street - it looked like the building was being converted for purely residential use. Its then back to the stop by Netto to wait for the 544, but Travel A2Z's 680 route is first on the scene and provides a nice little ride through Bradley, up Dudley Street by Morrison's and then into Bilston via a curious town centre loop to drop people off outside Lidl. I endure a nervous wait for the 525, thankfully the bus was only a couple of minutes late and I keep a close eye on the clock as we head through Willenhall and Wednesfield.
My last port of call is Scotlands & Underhill Library, due to close at 1pm - the 525 drops me off on Primrose Lane at 12:45, but with a dash through the estate I make it with a few minutes to spare. The library is situated within the Neil Dougherty resource centre on the corner of Masefield Road and Westcroft Avenue, where it occupies a small front room. Again the library was only open for 15 hours, but at least the facility looked like it had been invested in, with lower height shelving and a bright interior. I really sensed the pain of closure here, seeing the stock being boxed up as the last few minutes ticked by. I wasn't quite the last person through the door, as a nice old lady brought in some flowers for the staff to say thankyou for all their hard work, a touching gesture that highlighted the impact the closures could have for local residents. Sadly, as with the other libraries, there just wasn't enough usage to justify maintaining the facility, and a deposit collection is again proposed in its place. 1 o'clock had now arrived and it was time to bid farewell, and as I left I couldn't help feeling very heavy-hearted having witnessed the very last moments at this particular branch. Farewell Scotlands and Underhill!
It was a sad day, but I'm very glad I took the time to go and visit the libraries one last time. It is always a shame when local facilities like these have to close, but I understand the fact that such action was necessary given the high running costs and lack of usage, especially when combined with the urgent need for the council to make savings to avert serious financial problems. Hopefully the provision of deposit collections, and the fact that residents will still have other library facilities relatively close at hand, will help to offset the closures and ensure people still have access to books, computers and information. For me, it was a day when I saw a little bit of local history being made, and in years to come, at least I can say I was there.
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