Riddrie Library in Cumbernauld Road, photographed in 1948.
The construction of council housing estates in outlying areas following the First World War resulted in many people moving away from the inner city areas served by the city's pre-war libraries. The provision of adequate library facilities in areas remote from the older parts of the city presented a challenge for the library service, made harder by the economic depression of the inter-war years.
The Riddrie housing scheme was built between 1920 and 1927 on open fields to the west of Cumbernauld Road, and Riddrie Library was the first permanent purpose-built branch library to be built in one of Glasgow's outlying estates. It is a one-storey building of sand-faced brick and stone dressings and cost £10,000. Other outlying areas had to be content with temporary libraries in schools and other buildings for many years.
Reference: D-AP 9/7/8/8
Reproduced with the permission of Glasgow City Council, Libraries Information and Learning
Keywords:
housing estates, housing schemes, libraries, Riddrie Library