Kensal Rise Library: Heritage Arguments

Despite all the publicity on Kensal Rise Library, the heritage arguments have not featured much in the debate.  There are three strands to this argument, all of which I believe can be answered.

1) The building is an attractive part of the College Road/Bathurst Gardens streetscene.  This I think is true, but unlikely to be affected by an alternative use.  Any alternative use, and alterations, would be required to get planning permission, and I can't imagine that Brent's Planning Committee would allow any significant alteration to the facade.

2) The Library has been in use as a library since 1906, and should always remain so.  I think this is a much weaker argument, although I can see why it appeals to some people. There are many buildings that change use.  Even if one regrets that, I think it is part of a modern urban environment.  I am also not sure that it is always a bad thing.  For example, are the Open Doors Ministry Church on Tubbs Road, the Rebirth Tabernacle on Leghorn Road or the Howard Road Mosque in Cricklewood all that worse because they are no longer occupied by the Churches that founded them?  Are Christchurch on Willesden Lane, the former Baptist Church on Sneyd Road or the former Cricklewood Synagogue not performing a useful service as housing developments? Of course, I have argued that there is something rather sad about Cricklewood Synagogue no longer being the focus of a community in the way it once was, but change cannot be held at bay forever.

3) The link to Mark Twain gives Kensal Rise Library a unique status.  This, I think, is the weakest of the three arguments, although it has attracted a lot of media attention.  The building's link to Mark Twain is that he opened it while he was fleeing his creditors in the USA, and he gave some of his books to start it off.  If one were to apply for a blue plaque on that basis, it would simply be judged insufficient.  I certainly don't believe it would justify distorting our entire library strategy.