Montrose Library

The Montrose Library is situated in an A-listed Carnegie funded building in the north Angus coastal town of Montrose. It was first opened in 1905 and in 2018 received a £1 million refurbishment to provide it with "flexible, community focused spaces".

Key Information

Montrose Library
General information
Status	Category A listed building
Address	High Street, Montrose DD10 8PH
Opened	19 October 1905
Design and construction
Architect(s)	J Lindsay Grant, Manchester
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In 1901, Scottish philanthropist Dr Andrew Carnegie, responded to a request for funding to provide a public library in Montrose. “I should be very glad indeed to comply with your suggestion and consider it a privilege. If Montrose will adopt the Free Libraries Act and provide a suitable site, I shall be glad to provide money for the building”- Andrew Carnegie.^[1]

The architect commissioned was J Lindsay Grant of Manchester.  The total cost of the building was £7,500 with further contributions from the town of Montrose of £1000, from Mr and Mrs W. Douglas Johnson of £500 and from “Montrosians at home and abroad” of £1000.^[2] Contributions for funding the book collection were requested from present and former Montrosians and local children's families to stock the juvenile section.^[3] The library was opened  in 1905 by John Morley MP. Montrose Library was the first ‘open-access’ library in Scotland.^[4]

Montrose Library is run by Angus Alive, a charitable trust running culture, sport and leisure in partnership with Angus Council.

The library was officially reopened on 5 September 2018 by Scottish author Stuart McBride, after a £1 million refurbishment.

56°42′35″N 2°28′09″W / 56.70983°N 2.46911°W / 56.70983; -2.46911