Droylsden Library Move

Droylsden Library Turns Over A New Page

A bright new chapter has started for Droylsden Library. It has made the short move to a new and modern home at Guardsman Tony Downes House.

 
After 84 years Droylsden Library has left its old home on and moved to bright, new, modern premises at near-by Guardsman Tony Downes House. The old Manchester Road building is now closed and the new library opened on Thursday, September 9.
 
You asked for an accessible lay-out with everything on ground-floor level, accessible toilets, up-to-date PCs and printers, and free wi-fi, and you’ve got them all in the new Droylsden Library at Guardsman Tony Downes House.
 
A community room, a children’s area big enough for class visits, space for events, work and study, and a designated area for teenagers are all part of the new Droylsden Library at Guardsman Tony Downes House. The move also meets a desire that the library should stay in the town centre.
 
All these facilities represent a major improvement on the old Droylsden Library which was built before the war and had a T-shape and three-floor configuration which restricted access, especially for prams and wheelchairs.
 
The move to Guardsman Tony Downes House, which opened in 2015, will help to future-proof the library so that it can be enjoyed by the community for generations to come.
  
Cllr Leanne Feeley, Tameside Council’s executive member with responsibility for libraries, said: “It may only be a very short distance from the old Droylsden Library to its new home, but the two sites are light years apart in terms of what they offer. Guardsman Tony Downes House is a modern, accessible and sustainable town-centre building.
 
“I’m so excited about the new chapter that’s opening for the people of Droylsden. They are now going to be able to enjoy library services that have been brought right up to date in a better and brighter way.”
 
Guardsman Tony Downes House was named by Tameside Council as part of their Honour our Fallen pledge in memory of 20-year-old Droylsden resident Tony Downes who was killed in Afghanistan in 2007 while serving with the 1st Battalion, Grenadier Guards.