Dartford Library

Dartford Central Library and Museum
Dartford Central Library and Museum
	Dartford Central Library
	51°26′35″N 0°13′09″E / 51.44314°N 0.219067°E / 51.44314; 0.219067
Location	Dartford, Kent, England
Type	Public library
Established	1 January 1916
Architect	Thomas E. Tiffin
Access and use
Population served	Dartford and surrounding area
Other information
Funding	Andrew Carnegie grant

Public library and museum in Dartford, England

Dartford Central Library and Museum is a library in the town centre of Dartford, Kent, England.

The library was opened on 1 January 1916 by A. W. Smale, Chairman of the Dartford Urban District Council, and W. A. Ward, the Chairman of the Library Committee. Its first browsers were soldiers in World War I who were staying nearby in military hospitals, recovering from wounds received while serving in the trenches. Dartford Central Library was constructed with the aid of a grant from the philanthropist, Andrew Carnegie. It was designed by Thomas E. Tiffin AMICE, the then-Dartford Urban District Council surveyor, and built in Bath by Messrs H. Friday and Sons and Ling, using Portland and York stone.

In 1937 the library was expanded over what was once the Dartford tin works. During the Second World War its cupola dome served as an air raid watchpost.

In 2016 the library had a major refit and internal access created between it and Dartford Museum. The library also opened the Peter Blake Gallery for the display of works by local artists.^[1]^[2]

Today, Dartford Library is open Monday to Saturday from 10:00 to 16:00, with these limited hours as a result of the pandemic. It is run by Kent County Council.^[3] The library featured in Most Haunted.^[4]

References

^ "Library set for makeover, KCC reveals". Kent Online. Retrieved 20 December 2017.
^ "Library returns after restoration". Kent Online. Retrieved 20 December 2017.
^ "Kent County Council". Archived from the original on 4 December 2009. Retrieved 27 January 2010.
^ "Dartford Library - Northern Ghost Investigations". Northern Ghost Investigations. 13 April 2009. Archived from the original on 22 November 2019. Retrieved 25 December 2025. The most haunted team hears some whining or crying noises in the library which was the voice of Kathleen the daughter of the librarian who also worked there.

External links

Kent County Council libraries site
Most Haunted

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[1] "Library set for makeover, KCC reveals". Kent Online. Retrieved 20 December 2017.

[2] "Library returns after restoration". Kent Online. Retrieved 20 December 2017.

[3] "Kent County Council". Archived from the original on 4 December 2009. Retrieved 27 January 2010.

[4] "Dartford Library - Northern Ghost Investigations". Northern Ghost Investigations. 13 April 2009. Archived from the original on 22 November 2019. Retrieved 25 December 2025. The most haunted team hears some whining or crying noises in the library which was the voice of Kathleen the daughter of the librarian who also worked there.