The Plymouth Central Library is situated in Tavistock Road, opposite the University of Plymouth. It was opened in 1910 in a dual ceremony with the City of Plymouth Museum and Art Gallery.
The final cost of the work is said to have been £15,627 14s 6d for the Library.
Then on the night of April 22nd/23rd 1941 the building and some 72,000 volumes were lost, including 41,000 in the lending library, 16,000 in the reference department and the Devon and Cornwall Collection of 15,000 books. Luckily there were 5,000 books out on loan, which were largely saved. Some of the stock was salvaged but it was only thanks to the general public donating 4,500 books that a library service was able to recommence as quickly as it did.
The Plymouth Proprietary Library, now situated at the top of North Hill, is the oldest library in the City. It was founded at a meeting held on Wednesday November 20th 1811.
On the evening of Monday July 16th 1962 the Commander-in-Chief, Plymouth, Admiral Sir Charles Madden, officially presented 15,000 naval books from the Port Library and Plymouth Command Officers’ Library to the City to form the Naval Studies section of the Plymouth Library Service. It was to be known as “The Mount Wise Collection”.
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