Only Connect presenter Victoria Coren Mitchell is to help launch the Belsize Library 90th anniversary celebrations at the much-loved north London library this month.
The writer and broadcaster will be among the speakers at a launch evening at Belsize Library on Antrim Road on Thursday 15 October, alongside local MP Tulip Siddiq, Rashid Iqbal of The Winch and Anthony Isaacs of the Friends of the Library. Live music and refreshments are promised as the community-run venue kicks off six months of birthday events.
Grade II listed Belsize Library first opened its doors in 1937 and has been serving readers and residents ever since — a remarkable run for a building that has repeatedly faced the threat of closure.
The building: an inter-war gem
Designed by H A Gold and R de W Aldridge, architects with a serious pedigree in library design, the single-storey, double-height building replaced an earlier Victorian library as a branch of the Hampstead Metropolitan Borough library service. Above the central window sits a panel bearing the now-defunct Hampstead Borough coat of arms, complete with its motto: Non sibi sed toti — “not for self but for all”.
The building was officially opened by the Mayor of Hampstead on 18 March 1937. When English Heritage listed it in 2016, it described the library as an exemplar of the small inter-war branch library, praising its stripped geometry and its luminous, open, understated interior.
Unusually for a building of its type, much of the original fabric survives: the red English brick, handmade Italian clay tiles, oak block flooring and the panelled double doors with their brass handles are all still there, alongside the original shelving, seating and open-plan layout.
Saved by the community
Over the decades the library has faced repeated budget cuts and closure threats. The Friends of Belsize Library was formed in 1988 in response to one such threat — and when Camden Council, which ran the building until 2012, moved to shut it altogether, local youth and family charity the Winchester Project stepped in. Now known as The Winch, it has managed the venue as a library and community space ever since, even though the council remains the owner and the library no longer receives local authority funding.
That rescue is part of a wider picture: library services across the capital remain under pressure, with Wandsworth moving to retender its libraries contract in search of savings — a reminder of how easily much-loved branches can be lost.
90 years in brief
- 1937 – Opened by the Mayor of Hampstead on 18 March as a branch of the Hampstead Metropolitan Borough library.
- 1988 – The Friends of Belsize Library is formed to fight a closure threat.
- 2012 – After Camden Council moves to close the building, the Winchester Project (now The Winch) takes over its management.
- 2016 – English Heritage grants Grade II listed status.
- 2025 – The library receives the Community Heritage Award at the UK Locality Awards.
- 2026 – The 90th anniversary programme runs from October 2026 to March 2027.
What’s on for the anniversary
The Winch is organising a full programme marking nine decades of service. An exhibition will explore the library’s history, architecture and role in the community, alongside guest talks and family and children’s activities running from October 2026 to March 2027. A short documentary made for the anniversary tells the story of how the service continues with the backing of residents, volunteers and local charities.
It joins a season of north London milestones, coming after South Hampstead High School’s 150th anniversary celebrations — and stands in cheerful contrast to the capital’s newest libraries, with Newham’s £6.5m Green Street Library also opening its doors this autumn.
How to join the celebrations
Anyone can get involved. The launch evening on 15 October is the curtain-raiser, with the exhibition, talks and family events following through the winter and into spring. The library is also looking for “library champions” willing to donate £25 a month to keep the doors open — funding community groups, activities and what the team describes as a safe, warm sanctuary open to all.
After nine decades at the heart of the neighbourhood, evolving from a 1930s municipal branch into a volunteer-powered community hub, Belsize Library has earned its birthday. With quiz royalty on the guest list, the party promises to be a good one — much like the borough reading drives it complements, including Hammersmith & Fulham’s campaign to put a book in every primary pupil’s hands.
