50 feet by 22 feet, with a storeroom for books behind. The lending department is at the back of the building, and is lit by windows on the north side and by a skylight. It is shelved for 25,000 volumes, in double cases 8 feet high, placed at right angles to the wall, and the room is high enough to take a second tier when needed.
The Edward Pease Library, Darlington, is built from the designs of Mr. George Gordon Hoskins of that town. The style of architecture is Renaissance, the materials employed being red sandstone and pressed brick and terra-cotta. It is situated on a corner site, with a frontage of 106 feet on the western and of 90 feet on the northern side, the main entrance being at the north-west angle.
The site is somewhat angular, and so the central hall or public lobby was purposely made irregular in form, in order that the other rooms might be properly squared. The library is only one storey in height, and access to the four public rooms is gained from this hall. Directly facing the entrance floors is the lending department, which measures 57 feet by 30. It is entirely lit from the roof, and the bookcases, to hold 32,000 volumes, are placed at right angles to the eastern wall. A counter with return, some 55 feet in length, run> the length of the room, and the issue desk is at the angle immediately behind the entrance doors. From this point the whole of the entrance-hall and lobby and the doors of the other rooms air easily seen, and the work of supervision thus materially reduced.
