Local fury over shock announcement by Highland Council over sale of Carnegie Public Library building in Wick
After a £750,000 consultation on the future of a much-loved building in Wick, Highland Council has put the former Carnegie Public Library up for sale at asking prices over £150K.
At the end of the working day on Friday (October 10), Highland Council’s Facebook page had a post showing that the local authority had suddenly decided to sell the iconic building, which had been gifted to the people of Wick by Scottish-American businessman and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie (1835-1919).
The post reads: “Property For Sale - Former Library #Wick. A rare opportunity to acquire one of the town's most recognisable civic landmarks — the Wick Carnegie Public Library, built in 1897 with support from Andrew Carnegie.
“Offers Over £150,000.”
The local authority had removed the ability to comment on the post but many Facebook users left angry emojis under it and shared it on their own pages, where comments were unregulated.
One Wick woman wrote: “A bloody disgrace seeing it was given to the people of Wick. Money goes to Inverness pocket, or it disappears like the swimming pool, a percentage that was donated never given back.”
Another wrote: “Sad it’s not still Wick library. Such a gorgeous place to sit and read. New one is just a corridor!”
“It’s a bit of a cheek selling something that belongs and was gifted to the town,” said one local, while another said: “There appears to be no funding to sympathetically restore this type of building. Such a shame.”
The Carnegie Public Library, on Sinclair Terrace, was designed by the Edinburgh architect Thomas Leadbetter and was formally opened on September 6, 1898. The Northern Ensign newspaper reported that, "The ceremony of opening of the Library took place at half-past one o'clock.
The building was profusely decorated with flags under the superintendence of Mr Teeling R.N., who had the assistance of Coastguardsmen Kelly and Gearing, and William Macdonald and Hector Nicolson, fishermen. Conspicuous above the others was a combination of flags displaying the Union Jack and the Stars and Stripes." Like all Carnegie libraries, the motto 'Let there be light' is inscribed over the entrance.
There appears to be little discussion over the impending sale with the Royal Burgh of Wick Community Council (RBWCC) regularly pushing the local authority to answer questions about the building’s future.
Last year, a Wick community council member questioned the time it was taking for a £750,000 consultation to be finalised, which included the repurposing of the former Carnegie Library.
The lack of progress being made over the “much-loved” building’s future was highlighted on various other occasions by RBWCC members until recently. A public consultation had been held in February 2023, which asked for people’s views on how the building could be repurposed. It appears that these suggestions have been completely ignored.
At the RBWCC meeting in September 2024, community councillor member Eswyl Fell said: “I am annoyed that consultation about the future of an important part of our town – the much-loved Carnegie Library – was carried out by a group of young adults who had been brought up to Caithness at great expense from the south of England, and knew nothing about the area.
“I would like to find out how much this consultation actually cost. I feel that it would have been more useful, and cheaper, for a local group to have carried out this task.
“I attended the meeting, and Post-it notes were handed out for people to write what they wanted to see the library being used for. I waited until the end, but no summation or discussion was given – just that they would let us know after they collated the findings.
“I looked at most of the notes and the majority of people wanted the library to be used as a place to display artwork or artefacts, and to be used as a hub for art groups. This was the general theme.
“I hope that the wishes of the locals will be listened to.”
Members of the public suggested the building could be used as an exhibition space, a tourist information centre, a youth hangout, a music venue, an art gallery, a craft studio, a post office, a digital skills lab, a repair shop, an active travel hub or even a wedding venue as possible uses.
Some felt it should serve as the town's library again because of its convenient location in Sinclair Terrace. Wick’s provost Jan McEwan agreed with this sentiment and said that the new library located at the East Caithness Community Facility is not “fit for purpose”.
The RBWCC had also been collating a list of all the assets connected with the building and it is unclear if these will be sold off separately.
The council included full details of the sale at this link: buff.ly/coGZsgg
The council’s listing states: “This impressive stone-built building has been at the heart of community life for more than a century, serving as the town library, the North Highland Archive and more recently as a community hub.
“Today, it presents an opportunity for restoration and adaptive re-use to suit a wide range of future purposes. The property extends to a site of 1,325 m² with a gross internal floor area of 1,069 m². The ground floor (538 m²) provides a welcoming reception and spacious library accommodation, while the first floor (512 m²) includes a striking gallery, secure strong room, office and supporting spaces.
“Further flexibility is offered by a basement store and a detached archive building. With its blend of heritage and central location, the property lends itself to a wide variety of future uses — from cultural and community purposes to commercial, hospitality or mixed-use redevelopment, subject to consents.”
It is unclear what is meant by “detached archive building”, as the structure next to the library was sold some years ago and is now a coffee shop.
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