Peckham Library

The story of Peckham Library

Peckham Library opened to the public on 8 March 2000, with an official opening by the Rt Hon Chris Smith, Secretary of State for Culture, Media & Sport on 15 May 2000.

The library was designed by Will Alsop from Alsop & Stormer and it received the 2000 Stirling Award for architectural innovation. It also won the Civic Trust Award (April 2002) for excellence in public architecture, along with the London Eye and Tate Modern. The vivid copper exterior also won it the 2001 Copper Cladding Award.

With nearly half a million visitors a year, it is the busiest of Southwark's lending libraries and issued over 245,000 items in 2010/11.

The library was designed to be striking, to make people curious about what lies inside, and to challenge the traditional view of libraries as staid and serious environments.

The construction cost of the library was £5 million, including £1.25 million from the Single Regeneration Budget programme. This programme, to facilitate the regeneration of Peckham also covered the creation of new low-rise housing (a mixture of owner-occupied and social housing), Peckham Pulse healthy living centre, Peckham Square and Peckham Arch.

To take photographs inside Peckham Library or to arrange a tour, please contact or email Ashoke Chaudhury on 020 7525 0212. During normal opening hours photography is not permitted inside the library.

RAFAEL REBONATO SOARES