While closed because of Covid-19, Minchinhampton Community Library has taken the opportunity to improve a number of aspects of the building including having a new reception desk installed.
It was designed and made by Chris Thompson (Furniture by Design) with his son George, who live in Minchinhampton.
They mainly used local sycamore wood from the Bathurst Estate in Cirencester, but also included a small piece of Burma teak, a slice of fossilised petrified wood from Madagascar and some London Plane (Lacewood) from Harrogate.
The teak was salvaged from SS Pegu, a steamship built in 1913, then sunk by a German U-boat 7 miles south east of Galley Head (Cork) in 1917. The petrified wood is approximately 200 million years old.
The dark wood on the front of the desk is the London Plane, which was saved from a Council clearance, and displays wooden books, a girl reading a book, plus quotes from well-known books.
It is hoped that the library's opening hours from October 5 will be 2pm – 4.30pm on Monday, 10am – 12 noon on Tuesdays and Fridays, 2pm – 4.30pm on Wednesdays, and Saturdays: 10 am – 12 noon.
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