The largest library in the Thurrock area is Grays Library. From outside, the building did not look appealing. I wasn’t sure the library was even in there. I could see it was the theatre and a sign for the registry office but it wasn’t until I got to the door that I could see an opening hours sign for the library and the museum.

However, once I was in the building a lovely warm garlicky smell was emanating from the café and the foyer area was lovely. I walked past the box office and to the back of the ground floor where there was an entrance to the library.

According to the internet there was a Carnegie library here that was built in 1903 but  this library was built in 1968 behind it. I don’t know when the original was demolished.

It was a Monday morning and there was plenty of staff and customers already settled in for the day. My overall impression of the library was blue. The carpet was very blue, the seats were blue, even the bulbs in the lights in the toilet were blue. The first bookcase I came across was labelled “misery memoirs” – so clearly the person who put that together was feeling “blue”.

 

The fiction and large children’s area were on the ground floor. A central wooden staircase led up to a mezzanine floor where the non-fiction material was held, more computers and then leading off to a computer room, local studies and the museum.

A nice community complex on the inside – shame about the outside.