ON a bright June day in 1884 the townspeople of Darlington gathered on Crown Street to celebrate the construction of a new library bequeathed by the late Edward Pease.

The wonderfully descriptive Northern Echo reports at the time detailed how the building was ‘gaily decorated with flags’ as civic dignitaries gathered to watch Edward’s brother, Joseph, lay the cornerstone.

With typical Victorian journalistic flourish, the reporter gushed about the hope that 'for many, many years to come (the library) would have its effect upon the people of this place in promoting their education and their comfort in life'.

The following October, the Edward Pease Free Library opened to great fanfare and it did indeed go on to serve the people of Darlington for many, many years to come.

And whatever the future holds for the library, Edward Pease can certainly be proud of its 131-year contribution to enhancing the life of the town's residents.

It was a project that he had tried to bring to life before his death, but a vote held in the March of 1870 showed that the people of Darlington were not in favour.

At that time there were already several libraries operating in the town – both commercially and charitably – and there was concern among rate payers that a new library, subsidised by the public, equated to the middle classes paying to educate the poor.

Pease, who struggled with ill-health throughout his life, died a decade later, but it soon became clear that he had never given up on his dream of building a library for the people.

Three years after his death it was announced that he had left £10,000 in his will – almost £1m in today’s money – to fund the education of the ‘poorer classes’ by establishing a free library.

A second public vote was held and an overwhelming majority voted in favour of a new library.

And so it was that the Edward Pease Free Library was opened in October 1885.

The building still boasts its original façade with many intriguing and beautiful features – and within its perimeter still lies the boulder that esteemed Northern Echo editor William Stead used to secure his horse.

With its future looking increasingly shaky, it is hoped that this is not the end of the library's story, merely a new chapter in an alternative future.