Former Camberwell Public Library and Livesey Museum
Former Camberwell Public Library and Livesey Museum, 682, Old Kent Road, London, SE15 1JF
Listed on the National Heritage List for England. Search over 400,000 listed places
Overview
- Heritage Category:
- Listed Building
- Grade:
- II
- List Entry Number:
- 1385739
- Date first listed:
- 17-Sept-1998
- List Entry Name:
- Former Camberwell Public Library and Livesey Museum
- Statutory Address:
- Former Camberwell Public Library and Livesey Museum, 682, Old Kent Road, London, SE15 1JF
Location
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Images of England Project
- Date:
- 2002-04-11
- Reference:
- IOE01/06745/22
- Rights:
- © Mr David March. Source: Historic England Archive
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Discover moreOfficial list entry
- Heritage Category:
- Listed Building
- Grade:
- II
- List Entry Number:
- 1385739
- Date first listed:
- 17-Sept-1998
- List Entry Name:
- Former Camberwell Public Library and Livesey Museum
- Statutory Address 1:
- Former Camberwell Public Library and Livesey Museum, 682, Old Kent Road, London, SE15 1JF
The scope of legal protection for listed buildings
This List entry helps identify the building designated at this address for its special architectural or historic interest.
Unless the List entry states otherwise, it includes both the structure itself and any object or structure fixed to it (whether inside or outside) as well as any object or structure within the curtilage of the building.
For these purposes, to be included within the curtilage of the building, the object or structure must have formed part of the land since before 1st July 1948.
The scope of legal protection for listed buildings
This List entry helps identify the building designated at this address for its special architectural or historic interest.
Unless the List entry states otherwise, it includes both the structure itself and any object or structure fixed to it (whether inside or outside) as well as any object or structure within the curtilage of the building.
For these purposes, to be included within the curtilage of the building, the object or structure must have formed part of the land since before 1st July 1948.
Location
- Statutory Address:
- Former Camberwell Public Library and Livesey Museum, 682, Old Kent Road, London, SE15 1JF
The building or site itself may lie within the boundary of more than one authority.
- County:
- Greater London Authority
- District:
- Southwark (London Borough)
- Parish:
- Non Civil Parish
- National Grid Reference:
- TQ 34643 77670
Details
This list entry was subject to a Minor Amendment on 13/02/2018
TQ3477NE
636-1/38/547
SOUTHWARK
OLD KENT ROAD (south east side)
No. 682 Former Camberwell Public Library and Livesey Museum
(Formerly listed as No. 682, Camberwell Public Library and Livesey Museum)
II
Former public library and museum. Dated 1890. By RP Whellock. For the Parish of Camberwell.
MATERIALS: brick in English bond, with stone, terracotta and rubbed brick dressings. Gable facing roofs of slate, that to the hall with a clerestory; all openings are flat-arched unless otherwise stated.
PLAN: hall or reading room, rectangular in plan, to the left of the site, which projects to the line of the Old Kent Road pavement. Internally four bays, an open timber roof consisting of an arched tie beam, supporting the lower range of the roof, from which springs a king strut supporting the clerestory; each truss tied by a metal bar of original date. The southernhalf of the building destroyed during the war.
EXTERIOR: one-window range. Elevation of hall: canted bay with tripartite windows to first floor level, a round-arched, keyed window below; the bay topped by stone balustrade; gable defined by a elliptical-arched recess pierced by an elliptical light to the hall roof; to either side of bay, entablature band with frieze of swags; corners of quoined brick; upper area of gable with scrolls surrounding an open book; coping treated as a raking dentil cornice; ornamental weather vane at roof peak; on the coved sill of the bay is the inscription "Camberwell Public Library Anno. Dom. 1890".
Plinth of brick unites hall with entrance range, recessed to rear, forming a forecourt: three and a half storeys and a two-window range: entrance recessed by elliptical diaphragm arch; small, elaborately moulded light to upper right spandrel of arch; frieze band between ground and first floor has baskets of fruit in high relief; paired windows above set in Tuscan aedicule of two bays, which continues to second floor as a shallow rectangular bay framing a pair of windows; this centrepiece finishes in a broken segmental gable, pierced by a round, keyed light; gable eaves are flared; gable peak finished with a diminutive decorative gable in Flemish Renaissance style.
INTERIOR: not inspected.
The hall and entrance ranges only are included; the post-WWII extensions to the rear which enclose an open courtyard are not of special architectural interest.
Listing NGR: TQ3464377670
Legacy
The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.
- Legacy System number:
- 471149
- Legacy System:
- LBS
Legal
This building is listed under the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 as amended for its special architectural or historic interest.
Map
This map is for quick reference purposes only and may not be to scale. This copy shows the entry on 08-Jun-2026 at 19:25:14.
Download a full scale map (PDF)End of official list entry
All text content is available under the Open Government Licence v3.0 , except where otherwise stated. Any supplied maps are © Crown Copyright [and database rights] 2026 OS AC0000815036 and may not be reproduced without permission.