Library Place

Library Place

This building once housed Jersey's first public library

Library Place runs from the eastern end of the Royal Square to Broad Street and got its name because Jersey's first public library was built there in the 17th century. In the 19th century several locally owned banks established their headquarters there and some of the magnificent buildings constructed for them remain in use today by major UK banks

Library

The street got its name from the public library, which was opened at No 5 in 1742 and remained there until it moved to the Royal Square in 1886.

7 Library Place, next door, was home to Payn's Circulating Library. Advertisements in almanacs (see below) show it operating there from at least 1852 to 1886, before moving to 27 King Street. In 1852 an annual subscription to Payn's Library cost £1 1s, a not inconsiderable sum at the time. It allowed the well educated access to books, newspapers and periodicals which they could not afford to buy for themselves. The service must have been popular because, by 1860, the charge had risen to £1 5s, although there was a daily rate of 3d for those who only occasionally used the library. Quite how Payn's was able to operate as a commercial venture, next door to the public library, is unclear, but even that charged a subscription.

At this time libraries were for reference only. Books could not be borrowed.

Before King Street was developed, Library Place was an important link between the main shopping centre in Broad Street and the Royal Square. It was itself an important commercial centre, with jewellers, a pharmacy, a 'dining-house', a 'fancy repository', wine and spirits merchant, taverns, hotels and boarding houses, a hairdresser, a china and glass dealer, a 'trowser warehouse' and a major auction house, all in business there in the mid-18th century.

Perhaps after a morning spent reading the latest news in one of the libraries, gentlemen would adjourn to one of the nearby taverns and restaurants for lunch. These included the British Hotel on the corner with Broad Street, the Vaults Hotel at No 2 at the opening to the Royal Square at the other end of the street, or Allan's Dining-Rooms at No 6.

Teachers

It was also a popular location for teachers offering private tuition in music, art and languages, among other subjects.

Typewriters

The Jersey Typewriter Company became established at No 11 in about 1910 and remained in business there until the beginning of the German Occupation.

Decline

Gradually the commercial centre of the town shifted from Broad Street and Library Place into King Street, Queen Street and Halkett Place, and Library Place lost its shops, which were replaced by impressive large buildings for banks in the second half of the 19th century.

Among the banks to trade from the street were London City and Midland, Midland, Jersey Banking Company, Jersey Commercial Bank, Parr's, Westminster, NatWest and Barclays.

Individual property profiles

Library Place businesses