Building record 1556700000 - The Old Library, Queen Victoria Road

Library designed by R G Brocklehurst and H A Gold (a specialist in library design) and built by W A James and Son. It opened on 25 June 1932 and closed in 2008. It forms part of High Wycombe's former civic centre, alongside the former Town Hall, Police Station and opposite the former District Council offices. The Old Library is constructed of red brick with sandstone ashlar details. It has a chamfered corner within which is located the entrance to the building and has a hipped red pantile roof. It has been subject to later alterations and extensions. A vehicular passage and upper storey extension has been made to the south of the original building between the library and the town hall. The majority of original fixtures and fittings of the building have been removed and a partition wall has enclosed the landing and stair well towards the front of the building. A small public garden was laid out to the NE of the entrance as a war memorial.
Assessed in 2016 by Historic England for listing but rejected due to the degree of later alterations and extensions, the building displays little architectural interest or innovation and better examples of H A Gold's work survive elsewhere (B1).