Keighley Library was officially reopened following a major refurbishment on 17th August 2007. The refurbishment took place between February and August and cost around £1.1 million.
Bradford Council craftsmen restored the inside to its original arts and crafts interior after repairing the roof. The job also included cleaning the building’s grime-encrusted stained glass windows and installing a new heating system, complete with replica original radiators. There was new furniture and shelving, and more than £50,000 worth of new stock.
The official opening was conducted by Bradford’s Deputy Lord Mayor, Councillor Elaine Byrom, who was quoted in the Keighley News of 23rd August 2007: “This is a magnificent restoration and a wonderful centre of learning, with new facilities such as more computers, a café, many new books and more resources in the local studies library.”
The refurbishment was awarded a commendation by the Bradford District Designs for Architecture in 2008.
Main photograph of the commemorative plaque taken by Tim Neal in 2022. Smaller photographs of the refurbishment taken by Jan Perkins on the day of the reopening.
