William Brown Library and Museum

This article is about the building. For the modern-day museum, see World Museum Liverpool. For the modern-day library, see Liverpool Central Library.

The William Brown Library and Museum is a Grade II* listed building situated on the historic William Brown Street in Liverpool, England. The building currently houses part of the World Museum Liverpool and Liverpool Central Library.

William Brown Library and Museum
Main entrance to the building
General information
Location	William Brown Street, Liverpool, England
Coordinates	53.40979°N 2.98118°W / 53.40979; -2.98118
Year(s) built	1857–60
Design and construction
Architect(s)	Thomas Allom John Weightman (modified)
Designations
Listed Building – Grade II*
Official name	William Brown Library and Museum
Designated	28 June 1952
Reference no.	1063781

Main entrance to the building and, to the right, the ground-level entrance to Liverpool Central Library

Liverpool Library and Museum Act 1852
Act of Parliament
Parliament of the United Kingdom
Long title	An Act for establishing a Public Library, Museum, and Gallery of Arts at Liverpool, and to make Provision for the Reception of a Collection of Specimens illustrative of Natural History presented by the Earl of Derby for the Benefit of the Inhabitants of the Borough of Liverpool and the Neighbourhood thereof, and others resorting thereto.
Citation	15 & 16 Vict. c. iii
Dates
Royal assent	3 May 1852
Other legislation
Repealed by	Liverpool Corporation Act 1921
Status: Repealed
Text of statute as originally enacted

History

The William Brown Library and Museum building was conceived as a replacement for the Derby Museum (containing the Earl of Derby's natural history collection) which then shared two rooms on the city's Duke Street with a library. The land for the building on what was then called Shaw's Brow, as well as much of the funding, was provided by local MP and merchant Sir William Brown, 1st Baronet of Astrop, in whose honour the street was renamed.

Following on from the then-recently completed St George's Hall across the street, the new building was designed by Thomas Allom in a classical style including Corinthian columns and was modified by the Liverpool Corporation architect John Weightman.^[1] The new building opened its doors in 1860 with 400,000 people attending the opening ceremony.

With Liverpool being one of the country's key ports, much of the city was badly damaged by German bombing during the Second World War and William Brown Library and Museum were no exception. Hit by firebombs during the blitz in 1941, the building was ravaged by fire and much of the building had to be rebuilt. Key parts of the museum's collection had been previously moved to less vulnerable locations and damage to those avoided.

In 2008 plans were brought forward to redevelop the library, replacing the post-World War II additions with state-of-the-art facilities.^[2]

See also

• Architecture of Liverpool
• Grade II* listed buildings in Liverpool – City Centre