We are a local London group in South Norwood SE25 working to save a brutalist building from demolition. 

South Norwood Library as we know it first opened its doors in 1968 and has remained synonymous with the area ever since. For over 100 years the site has been home to a library, but Croydon Borough architect Hugh Lea designed this modern brutalist building as a purpose-built library with input from Croydon's Chief Librarian and team and as Bridget Cherry, former editor of the ‘Pevsner Architectural’ guides, remembers, “it caused quite an impact in the street” when it was built.

Sadly however, in May 2021 it was announced that a new, smaller and much more expensive library building will open near Norwood Junction station and operate a reduced service. This is due to huge financial debts of the council and means our much loved brutalist library building is likely to be sold to developers and is under threat of demolition. 

We strongly agree with Oliver Elser, curator at the Deutsches Architekturmuseum (DAM) in Frankfurt/Main, who said that “In our experience, when these buildings are demolished, whatever replaces them is never an improvement.” 

We ask Croydon Council to listen to South Norwood residents, conservationists and architectural experts to protect and preserve this outstanding and much-loved building. We feel that the building has significant cultural, historical and sentimental value and are seeking to both protect it and keep it open as something meaningful to the community. 

https://brutalistlibraryse25.org/