Mildmay Library
The Mildmay Library is a public library in the London Borough of Islington, England, mainly serving the Mildmay neighbourhood. The library originally opened on the 3rd of April 1954. It closed in 1984, with a fully re-built library re-opening in 1987. The library was further renovated in 2024.
| Mildmay Library | |
|---|---|
 The library in 2013 | |
 | |
| 51°32′51″N 0°05′03″W / 51.5476°N 0.0842°W | |
| Location | Mildmay Park London, United Kingdom |
| Type | Public library |
| Established | originally: 1954 reopening: 1987 |
| Branch of | Islington Libraries |
| Collection | |
| Size | 15,628[1] |
| Access and use | |
| Circulation | 29,336 (2024/25) |
| Other information | |
| Director | Maria Colucci |
| Public transit access |  Caledonian Road & Barnsbury   Highbury & Islington |
| Website | https://www.islington.gov.uk/libraries-arts-and-heritage/libraries/your-local-libraries/mildmay-library |
The Mildmay Library is a public library in the London Borough of Islington, England, mainly serving the Mildmay neighbourhood.
The library originally opened on the 3rd of April 1954. It closed in 1984, with a fully re-built library re-opening in 1987.[2] The library was further renovated in 2024.[3]
Name
[edit]The name of the building reflects the neighbourhood it lies in, which in turn reflects the historic Halliday family's possessions in the area. In 1673 ownership passed to Henry Mildmay, second son of Sir Henry Mildmay, who in turn was grandson of Sir Walter Mildmay, via the female line of the Halliday family owing to a lack of male heirs, leading to the current "Mildmay" appelation.[4]
History
[edit]The original library building was designed by Islington Borough architect and engineer C.N. Cowney. It was opened on 3 April 1954 by Wilfred Pickles.[2]
In 1984, the library was closed, and re-opened in 1987. The new library was Islington's first computerized library, and incorporated yellow shutters to protect the new equipment. [3] The new library was once again designed by the Borough architect, at that point Chris Purlow. The new library has been described as "jazzy and colourful," in a context of innovative borough-led architecture projects.[5]
Following its reopening, it notably hosted an exhibition in 1989 called "Britten & Pears: A Life Together 1973-1976," retracing the last years of Benjamin Britten's life, and his personal as well as professional partnership with Peter Pears.[6]
In the context of budget cuts between 2010-2014,[7][8] the Mildmay was one of the libraries threatened with closure.[9] In the end, the library was kept open, but with about 15% fewer opening hours than in 2010. In 2024, the Mildmay library was open for a total of 1,530 hours, about half the hours of the Central and Finsbury branches.[10] The library is closed on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays, and only open partially on Mondays and Saturdays.[11] During the 2021 by-election for the Mildmay ward, Green Party candidate Zoe Alzamora pledged to keep the library open seven days a week if elected.[12]
In 2025, the Council funded renovations to the library building, including adding new signage, getting rid of the shutters, improving access, and re-sizing the children's section.[13]
Services
[edit]The library generally has relatively lower levels of engagement than the other libraries in the service. In 2024/25, the Library had 1,403 active members (9th in the service), and 39,693 visits over the year (8th in the service).
On average, it performed 2,444 loans per month (7th in the service).[14] The library also has a toy library, where parents can borrow toys for their children.[15]
On top of serving as a lending library, Mildmay provides access to 9 free public computers, free wifi, printing facilities, and some study space.[11]
The library organizes a number of events, including resettlement classes for refugees, family support sessions in partnership with Bright Futures, and counselling sessions with the Islington Bereavement service. In 2024/25, Mildmay welcomed 5,502 attendees for events – 9% of attendees to all Islington Library events.[16]
The library is fully wheelchair accessible, and has adapted toilets.[17]
In popular culture
[edit]- The Mildmay library was one of the libraries mentioned in author Claire North's "Dear libraries" letter, where she said the library looked "pretty crummy, not gonna lie" but allowed her to "borrow [her] own weight in comics."[18]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "Collection-main catalogue-central library". Islington Libraries. Retrieved 12 September 2025.
- ^ a b Willats, Eric (April 2021). Streets with a Story: The Book of Islington (PDF). Islington Heritage Service.
- ^ a b Gregory, Julia (4 August 2023). "Mildmay Library set for a refresh to make it more 'welcoming'". Islington Citizen. Retrieved 26 September 2025.
- ^ 'Islington: Other estates', A History of the County of Middlesex: Volume 8, Islington and Stoke Newington Parishes, A P Baggs, Diane K Bolton, Patricia E C Croot, ed. T F T Baker, C R Elrington (London, 1985), see www.british-history.ac.uk
- ^ Abbott, Joshua (18 April 2017). "In House-Part 4: Islington". Modernism in Metro-land. Retrieved 3 October 2025.
- ^ "What's On". Capital Gay. No. 398. 23 June 1989. p. 23. GALE|XUKNJP246371328.
- ^ Flood, Alison (15 January 2013). "Libraries crisis set to get 'much worse' this year". The Guardian. Retrieved 22 August 2025.
- ^ Marshall, Tom (24 May 2012). "Islington Council slammed for 'caring more about poo than books' over library cuts". Islington Gazette. Retrieved 22 August 2024.
- ^ Dean, Jon (6 August 2014). "Secret Islington Council document reveals proposal for swingeing cuts: further details uncovered". Islington Gazette.
- ^ Amani, Julian (3 March 2025). "Response to Freedom of Information Request 5748012". Islington Borough Council. Information Governance Team.
- ^ a b "Mildmay Library | Islington Council". www.islington.gov.uk. 25 September 2025. Retrieved 26 September 2025.
- ^ Fraser, Calum (30 April 2021). "Mildmay by-election: traffic and environment clash". Islington Tribune. Retrieved 26 September 2025.
- ^ Hughes, Graham (15 March 2022). "Mildmay Library Consultation". Islington Council. Retrieved 26 September 2025.
- ^ "Response to Freedom of Information Request 6574453". Islington Council. Information Governance Team. 7 August 2025.
- ^ "Find Your Islington | Islington Libraries - Toy libraries". findyour.islington.gov.uk. 27 June 2025. Retrieved 22 August 2025.
- ^ Gannon, Michelle (12 May 2025). Libraries 2024-2025 Performance Report. Islington Council.
- ^ "AccessAble - Mildmay Library". AccessAble - Your Accessibility Guide. Retrieved 26 September 2025.
- ^ North, Claire (3 August 2021). "Dear Libraries". Little Brown Book Group. Retrieved 26 September 2025.