DUMFRIES’ historic Ewart Library officially reopened on Monday following months of restoration.
The Victorian building has been closed since January as work got underway for the ‘careful restoration’ of its original features, including the stained-glass windows, mosaic flooring in the foyer and burnt-orange wall tiles. It also included the modernising of the library’s lighting fixtures, improved digital facilities and better accessibility.
It was designed in 1899 by Dumfries-based architect Alan Burgess Crombie, who also designed the Loreburn Hall and Rosefield Mills. But it’s not just the building that holds historic significance to the town, George Shirley, the building’s first librarian, also founded the Guid Nychburris festival.
Monday’s re-opening ceremony saw council staff gather alongside pupils from Laurieknowe, Lincluden, St Andrew’s, Cargenbridge and Noblehill Primary Schools, as well as members of the public, to mark the reopening. The pupils were recognised for their contributions to new artwork on display in the children’s area with a tote bag of books.
Provost of Dumfries Cllr Tracey Little said during the reopening ceremony: “As someone who has spent many a long hour in this library, this moment is especially meaningful to me. I still remember getting the bus in from Locharbriggs when this was the only library in town, spending whole days here completely absorbed in the books.
“The Ewart Library didn’t just help shape my love of literature, it also gently guided me towards writing, it was here among the shelves and quiet corners that I became able to understand the power of words.
“One of the best things I have ever done for my three children was to get them a library card, through it I passed on not only the gift of reading but a sense of curiosity, independence and belonging that only a library can offer. I know first-hand the quiet magic that’s within these walls, it’s a place that has shaped me as it has so many others and it’s incredibly meaningful to be part of this new chapter today. So I am truly honoured to be opening the doors once again, not just the doors to a building but to a world of ideas, learning and community spirit.
“Let this moment remind us that when we invest in libraries, we invest in people.”
