Eccles Carnegie Library and Public Hall

Edward Potts became a Liberal member of Eccles Borough Council (1902‑07), the first chairman of its Library Committee in 1904 and a JP in 1906. From Andrew Carnegie he secured in 1906 a grant of £7,500 to finance the construction of a public library. He then designed free of charge a handsome building in Renaissance style (adjoined by a grand public hall which was never built) and opened it on 19 October 1907. He then expressed the hope that the building would become “the Eccles University” in harmony with Carlyle's dictum of 1841 that “the true university of these days is a collection of books.” He also presented five large etchings in order to provide the nucleus of an art gallery.

ECCLES.‑ The Mayor of Eccles laid, on Tuesday, the foundation‑stone of the new free public library, to which Mr. Carnegie has contributed £7,500.  The site of the buildings is in the centre of the town, and opposite the Lower Market‑place. The buildings form part of a scheme to fill up the most prominent part of a block of land acquired and cleared by the corporation under the powers of  the Insanitary Area Act, and face the broad space formed by the junction of the two main roads opposite the town‑hall. The library itself will consist of a lending department, 41 feet by 48 feet, a reading‑room 40 feet by 40 feet. a magazine‑room 15 feet by 28 feet, with rooms for staff and librarian, all on the ground floor. On the first floor will be a reference library 40 feet by 23 feet, with a book gallery, as extra store for lending department, a room for rare books, and a room for the meetings of the library committee. In the basement there will be a storeroom for papers and magazines, and also rooms for heating and fuel. [Building News 5 October 1906 Page 490]

THE CARNEGIE LIBRARY FOR ECCLES - The Mayor of Eccles (Mr. Alderman Schofeld) will to-morrow lay the foundation stone of tho new free public library for Eccles to which Mr. Carnegie has contributed E7,500. The site of the buildings is in the centre of the town, and opposite the lower Market Place. The buildings form part of a scheme to fill up the most prominent part of a block of land acquired and cleared by the Corporation under the powers of the Insanitary Area Act, and face the broad space formed by the junction of tho two main roads opposite the Town Hall. The library itself will consist Of a lending department, 41ft. by 48ft.; a reading-room, 40ft. by 40ft.; a magazine-room, 15ft. by 28ft., with rooms for staff and librarian, all on the ground floor. —On the first, floor will be a reference library, 40ft. by 23ft., with a book gallery, as extra store for lending department, a room for rare books, and a room for the meetings of the Library Committee. In the basement, there will be a large storeroom for papers and magazines, and also necessary rooms for heating and fuel. [Manchester Guardian, 28 September 1906; page 11]

ECCLES LIBRARY A FINE CARNEGIE INSTITUTION - One of handsomest and best-equipped of the public free libraries was opened in Church street Eccles, on Saturday afternoon. Its establishment is due in great measure to Mr. Edward Potts, resident of Eccles: and a well-known Manchester architect, who managed to gain the sympathetic assistance of Mr. Carnegie. The building has cost some £7,500, which is the amount contributed by the now famous promoter of libraries, after whom it has been named. The site on which it stands had already been cleared for sanitary reasons by the Corporation; but it was necessary to levy a rate for the purchase of books the maintenance Of the institution. Mr. Carnegie, as usual, stipulated for the levying of the rate, judging that in all cases such an institution is the more valued if it costs at least something to the community. In recognition of the services Mr. Edward Potts had rendered in obtaining this boon for Eccles, he was honoured with an invitation to perform the opening ceremony, as it was known that the donor of the library could not do so. The door of the library was opened by Mr. Potts with a gold key presented for the purpose by the Mayor. [Manchester Guardian 21 October 1907 page 5]