Library to see another century

A major renovation of Wakefield’s old library should see the community building live on for another century.

The property on Edward Street was gifted by Joseph Gibbs to the Trustees of the Wakefield Library in 1912 and then to Waimea County Council in 1959. In 1989, the property was transferred to Tasman District Council.

During the past few months, we have partially replaced piles and repainted the building.

Some rotten weatherboards were replaced with specially milled timbers to ensure we maintained the same heritage profile. The building was also re-roofed.

Inside, we removed the false ceiling and redecorated. Insulation was put in the ceiling and under the floor, with many old, damaged heritage features repaired and given a new lease of life.

Part of the work also included the installation of a heat pump system and a new kitchen bench.

With all the time and effort put into bringing the building up to scratch, the old Wakefield Library adds to the heritage fabric of the village and should be fine for another 100 years.