West Norwood Library and Picturehouse is a joint venture between Lambeth Council and Picturehouse Cinemas. As well as a library, the building has been refashioned to include a 4 screen cinema, community room, restaurant, café and bar. The original West Norwood Library & Nettlefold Halls, a modernist building, was first opened in 1969 by Princess Margaret and featured in several scenes of Stanley Kubrick’s “A Clockwork Orange”. It lies within the West Norwood Conservation Area and adjoins West Norwood Cemetery, a grade II registered Historic Park and Garden and the design and materials of the original building were considered to have a positive impact on the Conservation Area. Hawkins quarry tiles were a prominent feature in the old library building.
Panter Hudspith Architects aimed to keep as many of the original features from the building as possible, including the sequence of flat and sloping roofs and the clay flooring. Ketley quarry tiles were an excellent match to the existing Hawkins tiles that were laid in the 60’s and they also provide a very robust flooring for the highly trafficked areas which made them a very practical choice as well.
