In July 1992, the foundations were going down for the new Bungay Library on Wharton Street. The old Trinity Rooms had just been cleared from the site, the cars in the photograph still look unmistakably early-90s, and on the day a camcorder was running. This post is the archive: one wide-shot photograph from the building site, plus a short video shot during construction.
Watch: Bungay Library under construction, summer 1992
This is the original footage, shot on the building site as work was getting underway. It is short, hand-held and unmistakably of its decade — the kind of family archive clip that gets more interesting, not less, as the years pass.
What stood on the site before the library
Bungay Library was built on the site of the old Trinity Rooms — the church hall for Holy Trinity. To one side of the Trinity Rooms stood an air-raid shelter, which through the 1980s and into the early 1990s was being used as a collection point for newspapers and magazines for recycling.
Before the Trinity Rooms site was developed, the town library had been in a small building in Broad Street; that building is now home to a legal firm. With the Trinity Rooms gone you could briefly look right through the gap and see the old school bell at the top of Wingfield Primary School — a view that disappeared again as soon as the new library walls went up.
The library you will find there today
The library that took shape on Wharton Street in 1992 is still there, and is now run as Bungay Community Library — part of the Suffolk Libraries network. You can borrow books, use the public computers, take part in regular Rhyme Time and reading-group sessions, and pick up local visitor information.
Address: Bungay Community Library, Wharton Street, Bungay, Suffolk NR35 1EL
Phone: 01986 506060
Typical opening hours: Tuesday to Saturday, 9.00 am – 5.00 pm; Monday, 9.00 am – 2.30 pm; closed Sunday. Please check the Suffolk Libraries website before you travel, as hours can change.
More Bungay history and days out
If you have enjoyed this little slice of local history, our wider Places to Visit in Bungay guide pulls together our reviews, walks and family days out around the town. You might also like:
- Bungay Castle — the Bigod ruins in the centre of town.
- Jesters Café at Bungay Castle — a friendly stop right by the castle gateway.
- The Bungay Godric Way Cycle Route — a gentle family ride out of town.
- Bungay Christmas Street Fair — our notes from one festive evening on the high street.
1992 isn’t really that long ago — but we love how period the cars already look. If you remember the Trinity Rooms, or you were involved in the build of the new library, we would love to hear from you in the comments.
0 Comments