About

The Carnegie Free Library at the gates of Hull’s West Park was one of 660 libraries in Britain and Ireland built with funds supplied by the Scottish industrialist and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie.

The site was supplied free of charge by the corporation and construction began in the winter of 1904, to the designs of the City Architect Joseph Hirst.

Carnegie supported over 2,500 free libraries around the world and in 1903, following consultation with Sir James Reckitt, donated £3,000 towards the establishment of Hull’s fifth branch library.