Local Life In The 20th Century
Ledbury

Barrett Browning Institute

The History

The Barrett Browning Institute was opened on 16 January 1896. It was named in honour of the poet Elizabeth BARRETT BROWNING, who spent part of her youth at Hope End in the parish of Ledbury. Her father, John MOULTON BARRETT, has a memorial in Ledbury parish church. Elizabeth married the poet Robert BROWNING who died in 1889. The national mourning for the poet prompted the naming of the Institute in honour of his wife.

It was designed by the Ipswich architect Brightwen BINYON, who won a competition, beating 44 other designs. It was built by Ledbury builder George HILL. Although Niklaus PEVESNER was not impressed by its style, which attempts to echo the glories of the timber-framed Market House opposite, it has served Ledbury well since 1896. The Ledbury Reading Room moved from its premises in Church Lane into the ground floor of the building as soon as it was completed. In 1938 it became a Public Library, opened on 11 November by local-born Poet Laureate John MASEFIELD. The upper rooms were used for meetings and lectures.

Chronological extracts from Ledbury TILLEY's Almanacks - Photographs & Memories
Pre 1894

Lower Cross junction of Bye Street

[Lower Cross]
Collection

Mock Up of the Tower in High Street

[Mock Up of the Tower]
Collection

Under Construction

[BBI Under Construction]
Collection
1896

January 16 On the afternoon the Barrett-Browning Memorial Institute, at the Lower Cross, was formally opened in the presence of a large number of the elite of the neighbourhood by Mr. Rider HAGGARD, Mrs. STEPHENS, wife of Mr. Chas. W. STEPHENS, presenting him with a hand-somely-worked gold key, which bore on the one side an enamelled picture of the Institute and Mr. HAGGARD's crest, and on the other a suitable inscription.

November 25 Mrs. W. RUSSELL, of the Woodlands, died at the age of 57 years. By her will the deceased made several munificent bequests to Ledbury, including £100 to the Ledbury Reading Room. It will be remembered that she presented the four-dial clock to the Barrett Browning Memorial Clock Tower.

1897

October 4 at the Urban Council meeting it was decided that the Institute clock should be lighted every night at a cost of £12 per annum.

Pre 1904

Postcard View

[Postcard View]
Paul CARTER Collection
1905

View from the Market House

[View From The Market House]
1909

View from High Street

[View From High Street]
Mike PAUL Collection
1950s

View from the shops in High Street

[View From the shops in High Street]
Laura JONES ( Cole ) Collection
1960s

View from near the Bowling Green

[View from near the Bowling Green]
Brian HAINES Collection
1976

From Dog Hill after a snowfall

[From Dog Hill after a snowfall]
Ismet MUSTAFIC Collection

The clock was weight driven, a box in the corner top to bottom. Wound by Len LEWIS (ticker), also called Water Len ( looked after Massington Pumping Station ).

2014 - 3d by Point Cloud
Amazing 3 d film of the Barrett Browning Institute

Jo Edge - Ive never seen inside the 3rd level of the library before

Roger Baker - The bottom floor was the youth club. The next floor was the library. The top floor was again part of the youth club I'm not going to say how long ago though!!

LM - The bottom room was the main youth club. The top floor was used by the youth club as a kitchen. This was in the late Forties early Fifties . Mr CLAY was the Club leader.

John Gurney - Mr CLAY returned to Nottingham, succeeded by Mr BAMFIELD who in turn moved on. The last leader there was Mr HUMPHRIES a teacher at The Boys School

TR - Remember looking through the window watching the Country Dancing

Pauline Preedy - I remember they used to hold jumble sales upstairs years ago. Those stairs brought back memories of loads of people of the town queuing up to go in to the sale, pretty boring for us kids, seemed like forever

SD - I used to hate standing outside the clock tower with my mum on a saturday waiting for the jumble doors to open, would love it now

‹ ‹ Barrett Browning Institute


Sources
1897 - 1979 Ledbury Tilleys Almanacks - Herefordshire History
Photographs are credited to the owners where possible
Edited Memories in italics are from members of the Old Ledbury Facebook Group
Cuttings are from Old Ledbury Reporter Newspapers
History of Ledbury in the 19th Century
Herefordshire Archive Records Centre HARC

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