Manor House Library User Group

This is the official web-site of
The Users & Friends of Manor House Library.
Telephone: 020 8852 9301

KEEP LIBRARIES OPEN THIS AND EVERY NEW YEAR

Location & Background:

The Manor House in Old Road, Lewisham SE13 is located within approx 50 yards of the Lee High Road. Pedestrians can easily reach it via Old Road and Bankwell Road. The nearest rail stations are Hither Green, Lewisham and DLR/Lewisham, others within walking distance are Lee and Blackheath.
The Manor House, once owned by the Baring family (of Baring's Bank fame) is the last great house of Lee in public ownership. It was sold shortly after the Manor House Gardens were sold to the LCC
in 1901 and became a public library in November 1902 some months after its garden became the park.
It has remained a library ever since and at one time housed Lewisham's archives and a local study Centre.
It sports the most congenial children's library in the borough with regular story times*. It has an active and growing book club** which meets monthly on Thursdays. It has an internet terminal with the prospect of more and is situated in large airy rooms with magnificent views of the park through great bay windows.
It is a place of solace and a delight to the eye.

Standard Events:

*Under Fives story times each Monday at 11 a.m.
More details from the library in their "Living Libraries" leaflet.
** The book club is known as "The Reading Group" and usually meets on a Thursday afternoon, 2.15 - 3.15 p.m. The next meeting is scheduled for Thursday, 22ndh Febrary 2007 when the group will be discussing "A Body In The Bath House" by Lindsey Davis. Why not come and borrow the book, read it and then join them, meet new friends and have a good time while discussing it?! It costs nothing to join the reading group and you can borrow the book from your own branch library as well as Manor House library!
More details are always available from the friendly and helpful staff in the library.
Watch this space!

Telephone 020 8852 0357

RECENT EVENTS:

All information of coming events is listed in the "Living Libraries" literature available at the library desk.



Normal Opening Times at Manor House Library are as follows:-

Mondays & Saturdays 9-30 a.m. - 5.00 p.m.
Tuesdays & Thursdays 9.30 a.m. - 7.00 p.m.
Wednesdays & Sundays NORMALLY CLOSED

NEWSFLASH ADVERT! NEWSFLASH ADVERT!
GOTTA GOOD MEMORY?
WELL, WE COULD USE IT! - SEE BELOW


Who We Are:

In January 2000 after yet another attempt to close our library, the Users & Friends of Manor House Library was formed to fight this action.
The steering committe is comprised of the following:-
Chairman: Peter Richardson,
Vice Chairman: Gerry Ambrose,
Treasurer/Membership Secretary: Norma Powell,
Meetings Note-taker: Patricia Richardson
Newsletter/Publicity editor: Vacancy exists/chair-sec in lieu

We meet at least 4 times a year and produce a lively newsletter ("The Manor View") at least as many times.

What we Did:

With the aid of a great deal of work, links with other threatened library groups, a massive showing of goodwill and with active help from the News Shopper, we saved our library!
We are now affiliated to the national "Library Campaign", the all-London "Libraries for Life for Londoners" (LLL) and also the London Civic Forum.

Aims:

Having saved our library, we continue to campaign for improvements and have been successful in some of these. We also aim to encourage the establishment of User Groups in all of Lewisham's libraries, and by extension, we would like to see User Groups in every library in the land!

Latest Campaign:

We have lobbied hard to persuade Lewisham Borough Council to utilise the upper floors of the Manor House for conversion in to a Lewisham Community Museum.
We feel this would be the ideal site for it, especially since the Manor House is a grade II* - listed building itself and is next to the recently restored Manor House Gardens and cafe, which, with its newly restored ice-house forms a "living museum"!
The proposal has not been met with enthusiasm of Lewisham Council. Why would it? It is only what the PEOPLE want!!ps.
Unfortunately, Lewisham Council does not support the idea - it prefers "a Museum without walls". . . . . . . . Yes! A good one!!
The Users & Friends of Manor House Library will oppose any attempt to relocate our library.
We do have news: And here it is:-

LBL set aside £1.75M of capital funds for the refurbishment of the Manor House in 2000.
The first shot was a Heritage Lottery bid in 2000/02 - Failed!
Then came the second shot - overseen by Lewisham Council Yes, also failed. This time withdrawn on 11th January 2006 as being "unaffordable"
We are now in to the third attempt with a new set of architects, a new set of (private) Project Manager, but the same old double-speak specifications.
We have urged the project must cater for disabled access bearing in mind the value of the building is an historic monument and attempts to include DA may impinge on the extent of this provision, which in turn may determine the extent of available space. The project is obviously extremely complex. In summary, it is the needs of the building itself which will determine its future use. However, the main thrust of the third attempt allows for disabled access by means of platform lifts - at least to the library floor and basement.
But, the Council has its own agenda and has produced a Business Model which assumes the renting of tthe entire upper two stories as dedicated function/meeting rooms but the library and basement rooms also can double for this purpose - giving disable access to them. The new plan includes an 8-passenger 4-storey lift which is to be installed in the main entrance hall and thrust right through this classic Georgian structure!
However, the Business Model has unfortunately been presented to English Heritage as a "Favourable Business Plan" and the Case Officer has used it to influence their responsible Panel not to interfere with Listed Building Consent.
Yes, we know. We all thought the purpose of EH was to protect our heritage! We regard this act as a breach of their Mission Statement and an act of official vandalism. We need support.
If you have any ideas for uses which may blend with the library, please forward them to our chairman, Peter Richardson at mhlibraryusers@yahoo.co.uk
Council Tax payers own the Manor House. We as a group regard the Manor House as a community space - that means usable space by the entire Lewisham community. All we ask is that any scheme thought up will harmonise with the Library!



MEMBERSHIP DETAILS:-

With our links with Blackheath and Grove Park libraries, we continue to monitor the library service in Lewisham and campaign for improvement.
Together we are affiliated to LLL and the Library Campaign and represent all Lewisham libraries at these organisation.
If you woul like to support us, why not become a member? You and your family would be most welcome, and of course you would receive our newsletter.
Membership of The Users & Friends of Manor House
is offered to both households and individuals.
Membership fees are £5 per household - regardless of individuals within it, (£3.50 concessions) and £1 per individual child under 16.
Please refer to the detachable form below, and send it and your cheque for the appropriate amount to:-
Mrs Norma Powell, Treasurer/Membership Secretary,
Users & Friends of Manor House Library,
129 Leahurst Road,
Lewisham,
London SE13 5LW
Please remember to make your cheque payable to:-
The Users & Friends of Manor House Library
N.B. Concessions = Unwaged and Pensioners.


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Membership form for the -
The Users and Friends of Manor House Library

I..........................................(print)

of................................................
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...............postcode...........................
tel:..............................................

Signature.........................................

I represent a household of .........persons*
I am an individual under the age of 16*

I enclose my cheque for the sum of £....... made payable to The Users & Friends of Manor House Library.
If you are able to help in any way, such as assisting with petitioning/delivering leaflets etc
please include this below
I am able to offer support by.....................
..................................................

*erase as appropriate.
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Please send this form to Mrs Norma Powell,
Treasurer/Membership Secretary,
Users & Friends of Manor House Library,
129 Leahurst Road,
Lewisham,
London SE13 5LW
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