Pillgwenlly Library
| Pillgwenlly Library | |
|---|---|
"KNOWLEDGE IS POWER" | |
| Type | Library (former) |
| Location | Pillgwenlly, Newport, Wales |
| Coordinates | 51°34′36″N 2°59′23″W / 51.576616°N 2.989622°W |
| Built | 1889 |
| Architect | Alfred Swash |
| Architectural style | Vernacular |
Location of Pillgwenlly Library in Newport | |
Pillgwenlly Library is a former library in Pillgwenlly, Newport, Wales. Built in 1889, it was designed by a local architect, Alfred Swash. The library was closed in the 21st century. An inscription on the building's tympanum (pediment) reads, "KNOWLEDGE IS POWER". The phrase, originally attributed to Francis Bacon, inspired the opening line of the song A Design for Life by the Manic Street Preachers.
History and description
The Pillgwenlly Library was one of a number of projects established by the town's council to commemorate Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee, held in 1887. An architectural competition attracted seven entries and a Mr Alfred Swash was declared the winner.[1] Swash, a local architect,[2] had trained with the firm of Habershon and Fawckner before establishing his own practice at Midland Bank Chambers in Newport.[a][3] The site for the library, on Temple Street, was donated by Lord Tredegar, the major local landowner,[1] and the construction cost was £1,200.[4] The building is frequently misidentified as a Carnegie library[5] but funds did not come from the Carnegie Foundation.[6] The necessary investment came through local taxation, which had been permitted by the passing of the Public Libraries Acts of 1850 and 1855.[b][8]
The library was of three storeys with a basement and the construction material was red brick with Bath stone dressings. Its frontage on Temple Street was 34 feet in length. The building incorporated a reading room, classrooms, a room for the playing of chess, and an office and accommodation for the permanent caretaker.[4][9] The building's tympanum (pediment) carries an inscription, "KNOWLEDGE IS POWER".[c][11]
The library's inscription inspired Nicky Wire, lyricist for the Manic Street Preachers, to write their 1996 single, A Design for Life. The track's opening line is "Libraries gave us power".[12] The band members grew up in Blackwood, a town in the South Wales Valleys to the north of Newport, and Wire's wife was employed at Pillgwenlly Library.[13] In 2009 the Preachers were invited to unveil a plaque at the opening of the new central library in Cardiff; the plaque carries the lyric "Libraries gave us power".[14]
The library closed in 2009, and the premises were repurposed as a community centre.[15]
Notes
- ^ Alfred Swash (1860-1939) was born in Neath, practised for most of his professional life in Newport, latterly in partnership with his son, Frank, and retired to Llandrindod Wells.[3]
- ^ Although the Public Libraries Acts gave local authorities of a certain size the power to impose a penny rate for funding the provision of municipal libraries, many, particularly in less prosperous areas, did not do so. Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee of 1887 provided a major stimulus, as at Newport.[7]
- ^ The phrase "Knowledge is power" is generally attributed to Francis Bacon, the Elizabethan philosopher.[10]
References
- ^ a b "Newport Branch Free Library". South Wales Echo. 14 April 1888. Retrieved 9 November 2025.
- ^ "Pillgwenlly Free Reading Room". The Building News. 20 April 1888. Retrieved 9 November 2025.
- ^ a b Brodie 2001, pp. 742–743.
- ^ a b "Branch Library at Newport". South Wales Echo. 1 January 1890. Retrieved 9 November 2025.
- ^ Moore, Dylan (1 February 2019). "Libraries Gave Us Power: A Letter to Llandrindod, from Medellín". Hay Festival. Retrieved 9 November 2025.
- ^ Prizeman 2022, p. 213.
- ^ Taylor, Whitfield & Barson 2016, p. 2.
- ^ Pearce, Jenny (12 August 2025). "The Radical Act behind your local library". British Library. Retrieved 10 November 2025.
- ^ Greenwood 1890, pp. 218–219.
- ^ O'Neill, Ryan (5 July 2023). "The little-known building in Newport that inspired some Welsh music history". Wales Online. Retrieved 9 November 2025.
- ^ Tomos, Iwain (6 October 2021). "20th Century – Libraries Gave Us Power!". Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales. Retrieved 9 November 2025.
- ^ Nicky Wire (7 February 2011). "If you tolerate this ...': Nicky Wire on library closures". The Guardian. Retrieved 9 November 2025.
- ^ Rondel, Ross (4 September 2022). "How Pill Library inspired Manic Street Preachers hit". South Wales Argus. Retrieved 9 November 2025.
- ^ "Manics' 'humble' library opening". BBC Wales. 18 June 2009. Retrieved 9 November 2025.
- ^ Qaimkhani, Ruby (22 August 2024). "Pill Library closure Newport City Council residents say". South Wales Argus. Retrieved 9 November 2025.
Sources
- Brodie, Antonia (2001). Directory of British Architects, 1834–1914. Vol. 2 (L–Z). London: British Architectural Library. ISBN 978-0-826-45514-7.
- Greenwood, Thomas (1890). Public Libraries: A History of the Movement and a Manual for the Organization and Management of Rate Supported Libraries. OCLC 186931079.
- Prizeman, Oriel (2022). The Carnegie Libraries of Britain: A photographic chronicle. Cardiff: Welsh School of Architecture. ISBN 978-1-899-89545-8.
- Taylor, Simon; Whitfield, Matthew; Barson, Susie (2016). The English Public Library 1850-1939. Swindon: Historic England. ISBN 978-1-848-02454-0.