Wantz Library

Wantz Library was originally built to provide communal kitchen for locals bombed out of their houses as part of the British Restaurant Scheme during the Second World War. It was transformed into a library at the behest of the formidable, John O’Leary, Borough Librarian in 1945. The original library was later demolished and replaced with a new building, which opened in 1976. A leaflet on the opening ceremony outlines how it was hoped the library would become a ‘centre for recreation and education to help meet the leisure needs of every age group’. Unfortunately the library was eventually closed due to a lack of funding from the coalition government in March 2012.

From the guide to the Records of Wantz Library, 1952-2001, (Barking and Dagenham Archive and Local Studies Centre)