Spring Hill Library Update

Spring Hill Library will never reopen. It closed ‘temporarily’ due to a heating problem in December 2022 but after initially promising to make repairs a priority, Birmingham City Council claimed earlier this year that their current financial situation makes that impossible. At a scrutiny committee held on 5 March 2025, they rejected appeals and decided to permanently close the library.

Determined not to allow over 125 years of community service to be quietly shelved, we held a special event for Birmingham Heritage Week headlined by legendary Brummie historian Professor Carl Chinn MBE who generously volunteered his time for free. After Carl's fantastic talk, local author Leila Rashid did a reading of her poem from the Brum Library Zine. I read my short story Save Our Souls, set in Spring Hill Library and written for the National Literacy Trust’s Haunted Birmingham project, and Norman Bartlem from the Ladywood History Group presented his video of local school children re-enacting the library's grand opening in 1893 in the style of a contemporary news bulletin.

The Council declined our request to open the library building for the occasion, citing health and safety concerns, but Tesco’s Community Champion Mark Bent kindly provided a room in the supermarket next door.

While it remains deeply disappointing that Spring Hill Library won't reopen in its current form, one positive is that the Council have agreed to maintain ownership of the stunning Grade II* listed building and long lease it to an organisation that will keep it open to the public as a much-needed community space.

The Council invited bids from community groups last month, with viewings held on 14 and 24 October and an application deadline of 31 October. What I found inside was both breathtaking and heartbreaking.

Photo taken from the second floor balcony on 24 October 2025

After almost three years abandoned, the interior is perfectly preserved, like a time capsule. Books still line the shelves waiting for library members to come back and borrow them. The front desk and staff room are in a state of busy disarray as if the dedicated team could return at any moment. There's even a half-full box of sweets ready for the next children's event that will never take place.

Posters remain on noticeboards promoting the services this vital community hub once provided, a reminder that libraries offer so much more than lending books. In an area with one of the highest rates of child poverty in the country, it is truly shameful that the Council have chosen to close this wonderful haven. 

The Council’s health and safety concerns that had prohibited use of the building for our event felt more than a little hollow when these open days offered visitors access to every part of the building with no obvious signs of risk.

Due to continued interest in the leasing opportunity, the Council are opening the building for further viewings this Friday 28 November. We would encourage everyone who knew and loved Spring Hill Library to go along for one last look around, and if you may be able to lease the space for the benefit of the community, please do submit an application. The bid deadline has been extended beyond 31 October 2025 but no final date has been provided. For further details please contact CTwaites@lsh.co.uk or DNagra@lsh.co.uk as soon as possible.

The local community in Ladywood and Hockley deserve access to historic and beautiful buildings such as this one. As a campaign, we are watching and waiting, monitoring the Council’s progress towards their goal of keeping this inspirational venue accessible to the public.