Chapel Allerton Library
Georgina Pellant
This beautiful Yorkshire stone built gothic library is a real asset to its community. Situated inside Chapel Allerton’s former police station, it boasts a striking exterior coupled with authentic period features preserved for future generations. From soaring skylights to delicate cornicing, floor to ceiling columns, and a dramatic spiral metal staircase, Chapel Allerton Library offers its visitors a charming blend of history, knowledge and culture.
Step inside, and you are greeted by tall wooden bookshelves packed with an extensive collection designed to inspire imagination. With a rich collection to suit all tastes, whether you’re looking for poetry, fiction, biographies, or books on art, history, gardening, or politics, there’s plenty to discover at the Chapel Allerton Library – including a good selection just for little ones.
The library boasts a large children’s section with vibrant murals that help to bring its stories to life, and hosts a variety of family-friendly activities designed to inspire young children to fall in love with reading. Regular storytimes at the community hub make it a popular stop off for young parents, and the library also runs numerous clubs and events for kids, such as interactive sessions focused around Lego and Minecraft, and regular Code clubs.
There are also regular events for adults, with readers and writers groups for those who want to connect with more like-minded souls. The library also functions as a relaxing study hall for nearby students during term time, offering a calm, quiet place to undergraduates to knuckle down on coursework and revision.
A place where history meets a love of reading, visitors can borrow books, eBooks, eAudio, and more as well as accessing the on-site computers for free. Borrowing does require a membership, but joining is free and easy to do either in the library itself or online. As for those who prefer to sit and read on site, tables and chairs are readily available alongside a selection of daily national newspapers.
Whether you’re looking for a peaceful place to knuckle down with some work, a chance to meet fellow book lovers, or a space for your children to explore books in an engaging environment, Leeds’ Chapel Allerton Library always has something to offer.
