Newton Abbot Library
Newton Abbot New Community Library
Latest News January 2012 - now recruiting! We are now recruiting to the role of Centre Manager for the Passmore Edwards Centre. The closing date for applications is 15th February 2012. For full details, including ways to apply, visit the Choice website. See the latest photographs of the Passmore Edwards Centre in the gallery. 27th October 2011 Construction work at the building continues to move on and we have received a progress update from the site this week. The contractors, Morgan Sindall, are working hard on the new extension and the remodelling of all three floors of the existing building. They must work carefully and with respect for the historic significance of the building and the fact that it is over 100 years old. As works progressed, some unforeseeable structural anomalies have been uncovered, due to the age of the building, including the ground floor surface not being strong enough to support a brace to the upper floors whilst some openings are made in ground floor walls. Impossible to predict, these problems have unfortunately caused a considerable amount of extra work for Morgan Sindall. Although they are undertaking to make up as much lost time as possible, this means that the Passmore Edwards Centre will now look to open at Easter time, 2012. We apologise for the inconvenience that this later opening causes but thank you in anticipation of your patience and understanding. It is vital that we make the right decisions so that the building can continue to be enjoyed for many generations to come. 20th October 2011 Three young people were presented prizes this week as winners of our summer library design competitions. Alice, aged 10, scooped the prize in the ‘Railway Stop’ competition. Entrants were asked to suggest their favourite place from a story to feature on a special railway map on the wall of the new children’s library. Alice’s winning ideas were Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory and the Enchanted Wood. She took home a sack of super M@x goodies. The second competition was open to those between 11 and 18 years old. With the theme ‘My Favourite Place in Newton Abbot,’ entrants were asked to photograph the place they love most in the town. Rachel (14) and Rhys (11) were joint winners with their beautiful nature-based photographs. They each won a £20 gift voucher, and their images will be used as part of the design in the teenage section of the new library. You can see Rhys and Rachel’s winning images and a photo of the trio receiving their prizes in the Photo gallery. 13th October 2011 We are delighted to announce that, following overwhelming support from the local community, the building is to be officially named ‘The Passmore Edwards Centre’, in honour of the Victorian philanthropist who gave it to the town at the turn of the 20th century. Historical records show that John Passmore Edwards was keen to build a useful institution in Newton Abbot because his mother, Susan Passmore, lived in the town in 1843. His first idea was a hospital, but finding there was one already, he settled on a ‘Library and Technical School’ instead. We received hundreds of responses to the open invitation to suggest names and vote on a favourite. We recognise that the building already has a strong identity in Newton Abbot and it was clear that many of you felt passionate about remembering Passmore Edwards by using his full name in the building’s name, a great idea. You can find out more about John Passmore Edwards in the ‘About the project’ section of this website. More in the News archive |
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