Churston Library

This is a little post about a little building. I have driven past this little building many times and it has always caught my eye. I am not sure why but there is something that draws me to it. It speaks of the time when it was built, it opened in 1973.

The place-name 'Churston Ferrers' is first attested in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as Cercetone, meaning 'church town or settlement'. The manor was held by Hugh de Ferrers in 1303.

The building is a compact and simple design that reeks of a utilitarian pared back minimalism. It is probably easy on the eye at worst, to most, but beautiful to me. So many things about its materials and proportions tell you that somebody cared about the design of this building. I have no doubt that it was built to a budget but style was not compromised in any way.

It stands is an area that was being planned and built in the late 1960's. The need for a library for the local inhabitants whose nearest library was in Brixham was under discussion and not looking promising in 1969.

Torbay Express and South Devon Echo - Thursday 10 July 1969

TORBAY Libraries Sub-committee yesterday decided to recommend the Education Committee and the council to abandon the idea of establishing a branch library for Churston and Galmpton as part of a shops development scheme at Windy Corner.

After a long discussion it was agreed to ask Devon County Council to continue its travelling library service in the area for a further year, to ask the Borough Estates Valuer to find out what would be the cost of acquiring the shops development wholly and building a library on it; and to ask the officers to investigate alternative sites.

LOAN FOR SITE?

The sub - committee was told by the Director of Education (Mr. K. W. Badeley) that the Department of Education had written to say loan sanction for building a branch library would not be given this year, but would be favourably considered for next year.

Ald. H. Stanway, chairman of the sub-committee, suggested a "factory-built" pre-fabricated temporary library on a site on the other side of the road, but Mr. Baddeley said he hoped the authority would not become involved in a temporary construction. "Let us build a library properly," he said.

Mr. Badeley eventually got his way.

On the 16th of December 1970 a report appeared in the Torbay Express and South Devon Echo about the previous days meeting of Torbay Finance Committee.

Library. The committee was told that the Churston library project was considered to be a

" virtual commitment " and it was expected it would go ahead.

Interestingly, today, this use of "virtual" is striking. The meaning of the word has shifted somewhat in the intervening years. In 1970 "virtual" was used in the sense that approval for the library was almost certain, a fact that we could rely on. Today "virtual" tends to be used in the sense that things are not real at all but simulated. Ironically, the biggest threat to our libraries is actually coming from the virtual world itself.

Torbay Express and South Devon Echo - Friday 17 November 1972

The purpose-built Churston branch library, which is due to be opened in the New

Year.

The library is costing about £47,000. The site was bought for £14,000 and the building, equipment and furnishings to cost £27,000. The remaining £6,000 represents the cost of books and already 6,000-7,000 are waiting to fill the shelves. There will be sections for fiction, non-fiction, children's books and a small reference stock.

Miss Frances Hatfield (22), of Paignton, who has been working as the first assistant at Paignton Library, has been appointed librarian at Churston.

A mere 25 years after it opened and a different type of "books" enter the story. Balancing the books seemed to be about to become cutting the books.

Torbay Express and South Devon Echo - Monday 26 January 1998

TORBAY's taxpayers - about to pay more for less - are not likely to forget the first budget under self rule in a hurry.

The new unitary authority-in-waiting - it takes power on April 1 - is about to slap more than £50 on their tax bills and push the price of services up, while at the same time lopping them.

Nothing, it seems, is safe from the spending axe as the Lib Dem administration battles to balance the books while £10 million short of the funds needed to do the job.

Clearly, it is not about to win any popularity polls in the process.

And the reverberations have already begun.

For the axe is apparently poised above services that will hurt those most vulnerable, like library services.

Churston library is being considered for closure and the mobile library, which serves outlying areas, taken off the road.

The Council obviously got more backlash than they expected as only two weeks later.....

Torbay Express and South Devon Echo - Monday 09 February 1998

Churston Library closure fear ended.

CHURSTON Library is safe from closure. The assurance comes from Torbay's ruling Liberal Democrat group after it discussed a £5.5 million budget shortfall in a behind-closed-doors meeting.

Leader Mr Ian Fenton said the meeting came down against any plan to close Churston in a bid to find the cash to meet the shortfall due to Government restrictions.

Mr Fenton said: "I am quietly confident that Churston Library will not close. The budget is flexible and with good management we can find the money to keep it open."

He declined to speculate where the cash might come from or which other service might be targeted and said the group decision was virtually unanimous.

Mr Fenton said: "I have had about 25 handwritten letters from mostly elderly people who were concerned. If they take the time to sit down and write, it shows the strength of feeling."

He said the future of Torbay's mobile library service had not been discussed as it had already been decided not to close it.

Today the library is managed on behalf of the council by a charity.

Created in 2016, Libraries Unlimited is the charity which runs the public library service in Devon and Torbay. We are a company limited by guarantee with charitable status, commissioned by Devon County Council and Torbay Council, and drawing extra support from a variety of funders, partners and collaborators.

Torbay Council

We have four libraries in Torbay. In April 2018 we commissioned Libraries Unlimited to manage our libraries. Whilst they operate the service, we retain legal responsibility. This is to ensure it remains efficient and comprehensive. On top of the traditional book lending service, our libraries have a range of other services.

The library is no longer just a place to access books though, as with all publicly funded bodies, it is now a political hub for promoting ideology like Climate Change and DEI. Through projects like Together For Tomorrow, we’re supporting local people to take practical action on climate change.