Llandudno Library

Llandudno Library
Location46 Mostyn Street, Llandudno. LL30 2RP, United Kingdom
Established1910 Edit this on Wikidata
ArchitectEdward Owen of GA Humphreys
Branch ofConwy Libraries
Collection
Items collected
Books
Other information
Websitehttps://conwylibraries.com/visit-libraries/conwy-libraries/llandudno-library

Llandudno Library is a public library, located on Mostyn Street in Llandudno in Conwy, north Wales, UK. It is one of the county's main branch libraries and attracts around 170,000 visits a year. It is run by Conwy Libraries and part of the national Wales Libraries consortium.

History

Llandudno's first library was in 1855-56 located at the public baths (western end of the Marine parade) which held London newspapers (delivered by express), journals and popular books. Although it was a subscription model, typical of the time before the Public Libraries Act. The opening in July 1956 was celebrated with dramatic readings of Shakespeare and other poets by actress Charlotte Vanderhoff.

The site where the modern library now stands was originally home to the Llandudno Newsroom and Library, which was a subscription library founded in 1873 by Augusta Mostyn.: 45  The foundation stone was laid on 14 October 1873 by William Bulkeley Hughes MP. One of the regular subscribers and visitors was the politician John Bright, who when holidaying used to call in daily to read The Times.

As the 1894 local government act increased the availability of funding for public libraries, Llandudno were offered a £2000 library in 1889 but it was refused.: 216  The need for a public library became apparent; not everyone could afford to subscribe to a private library. An agent of the Mostyn Estate arranged for the library philanthropist Andrew Carnegie and the local gentleman John Walker (whose financial wealth was from his family's Walker Brewery company) to finance a new building which would house a public library, under the care of the town Council. Lord Mostyn still had a substantial mortgage attached to the site, which led to Carnegie almost pulling out, but Mostyn was convinced to gift the site to the council.: 45 

Local architects GA Humphreys oversaw the design enlisting specifically a local contractor called Edward Owen to design the library. However, as Humphreys was on the committee for the library his choosing was deemed a conflict of interest by other local firms.: 54  The new library was opened in 1910. T. Marchant Williams opened the library officially in that year, "the planting of a library in any town was a sure way of providing solace for the human heart and widening and sweetening the outlook on life". However the library did not recruit its first qualified librarian until 1935.: 222 

Further extensions werre built in 1938-39 and 1992, much of the original facade was retained but the extensions replacing some of the building's rear. In 1996 a plaque to commemorate local Punch & Judy performer John Codman was placed on the library's exterior wall.

Exhibitions included one of John Tenniel's Alice in Wonderland cartoons in February 1998.

The library obtained a computerised Library Management System in 1999.

Bench Mark on Llandudno library

In 2025 plans began to suggest a move of Llandudno's library to Venue Cymru prompting local protests and a petition against it raising more than 1800 signatures.

Services

The library holds a collection of approximately 38,000 titles. The library no longer issues overdue fines and as part of the Libraries Wales consortium members can reserve any book from across Wales free of charge. There are also 20 computers and free wi-fi as well as rooms for hire for meetings and training. There are children's story and rhyme sessions three times a week in both Welsh and English.

References

  1. ↑ "Llandudno Library | LibraryOn". libraryon.org. Retrieved 2025-12-30.
  2. ↑ Hughes, Owen (2024-08-31). "Llandudno plan that will remove 170,000 town centre visits is 'disappointing'". North Wales Live. Retrieved 2025-12-30.
  3. 1 2 Llyfrgell Llandudno Archived 2014-03-26 at the Wayback Machine ar wefan Cyngor Bwrdeistref Sirol Conwy
  4. ↑ "Now open: Llandudno subscription library and news room". Chester Courant. 2 July 1856. p. 4 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  5. ↑ "Llandudno Library". Conwy Libraries. Retrieved 2025-12-30.
  6. 1 2 3 Griffiths, Ralph A. (2021-06-15). Free and Public: Andrew Carnegie and the Libraries of Wales. University of Wales Press. ISBN 978-1-78683-775-2.
  7. 1 2 3 4 Wynne Jones, Ivor (2002). Llandudno: Queen of Welsh Resorts (2nd ed.). Ashbourne, Derbyshire.: Landmark Publishing Ltd. pp. 81–82. ISBN 9781843060482.
  8. 1 2 Leedham-Green, E. S. (2006). The Cambridge history of libraries in Britain and Ireland. Teresa Webber, Giles Mandelbrote. Cambridge, UK, New York: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-78097-1. OCLC 57731122.
  9. ↑ Draper, Christopher; Lawson-Reay, John (2010). Llandudno through time. Amberley Publishing. ISBN 9781445629254.
  10. ↑ "Galleries". Liverpool Daily Post. 6 February 1998. p. 31.
  11. ↑ "Community News". North Wales Weekly News. 6 May 1999. p. 63 – via British Newspaper Archive.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  12. ↑ "More than 1,800 sign petition against moving Llandudno library". North Wales Pioneer. 2025-05-05. Retrieved 2026-02-21.
  13. ↑ "'SAVE OUR LIBRARY': Protest against Llandudno Library move sees 'great response'". North Wales Pioneer. 2025-06-30. Retrieved 2026-02-21.
  14. ↑ "Llandudno library move plans backed 'without business plan'". North Wales Pioneer. 2025-08-04. Retrieved 2026-02-21.
  15. ↑ "Llandudno library move will 'cost Conwy Council £300k in savings'". North Wales Pioneer. 2026-01-29. Retrieved 2026-02-21.
  16. ↑ "Result". Conwy Libraries. Retrieved 2026-01-31.
  17. ↑ "Loans & Fees". Conwy Libraries. Retrieved 2026-01-31.
  18. ↑ "Story and Rhyme Time Sessions". Conwy Libraries. Retrieved 2026-02-21.