Westmorland and Furness Council is putting more than £400,000 into repairs at Barrow Library, a Grade II listed building, with work planned across autumn and winter. The goal is simple, keep the building watertight and in good shape for the long haul, while also improving insulation to cut running costs and carbon emissions.
The scope includes replacing the rear flat roof coverings and the rooflights above the library’s central section. The council also plans to add insulation under the new roof covering, carry out localized repointing of masonry, and repair and repaint existing timber sash windows, cast-iron guttering, and downpipes. The work is expected to be complete by spring 2027.
The library will remain open during construction, with books still available and staff on hand. To allow the rooflight replacement, the central section immediately behind the entrance foyer will be boarded off. Visitors will reach the two wings through new doors in the side of the foyer.
Because the available floor space will be reduced during the project, some regular activities will move to other libraries and council buildings. The council also warned there will be intermittent noise, including when the contractor prepares to repoint masonry and during repairs to the windows, guttering, and downpipes. Some work will be done outside library opening hours to reduce disruption.
For mason contractors, this is the kind of public, occupied-building project where phasing and coordination matter. Roofing, rooflights, drainage, and mortar joint repairs all tie back to moisture management, and the sequence can make or break how smoothly the site runs day to day.
The council said the building bears the date of 1915, but it did not open to the public until 1922 because work was delayed by World War I. The rooflight windows being replaced are not original, and the council said they have reached the end of their useful lives. Top Notch Contracting of Carlisle is the main contractor, with project management by Align Property Partners.
Read the full, original article from Westmorland and Furness Council here.