Visitors to Clapham Library have soared by 250 per cent since its move to modern premises.
More than 35,000 people used the library during each of the first three months since the reopening, triple the number for the same period last year.
It moved from Clapham Old Town in July to the new £6.5 million Clapham High Street base, which has a spiral staircase inspired by the Guggenheim Museum in New York. It opens seven days a week and houses community groups, a café, an “internet zone” and free wifi.
The building is part of the £80 million Clapham One regeneration scheme working to improve leisure facilities in the area.
It comes after library closures in London, as boroughs struggle to cut their budgets. Sally Prentice, Lambeth cabinet member for culture, said:
“By locating the library in the heart of Clapham in a bright, spacious and airy building, and by providing state-of-the-art facilities, people are flocking to use it in record numbers. It’s becoming a real centre of the community.”
