The first stone of the building was laid on September 13th, 1854, by the Mayor, Sir Samuel Bignold, who lent £4,000 for the erection of the building, and worked assiduously to promote the Library. The ceremony was reported at length in the Norfolk Chronicle of September 16th, 1854, from which the following extracts are taken:
“The ceremony of laying the first stone took place on Wednesday afternoon, in the presence of a large concourse of spectators. The ground had been decorated for the occasion with numerous flags, banners, and devices in flowers and foliage, and amongst the most conspicuous of the mottoes was one complimentary to the Mayor, bearing the words ‘Bignold for ever!’ surmounted by ‘The Queen and Constitution,’ with ‘Trade and Manufactures’ on the right and ‘Commerce and Agriculture’ on the left. In a convenient position a platform had been erected for the express accommodation of the fairer portion of the spectators. As the time for the performance of the ceremony drew nigh all the neighbouring approaches to the spot were densely crowded; every window within sight of the ground had its full share of occupants, and daring spirits had even ventured to take up their position on the surrounding walls and house-tops.
“A few minutes after four the sounds of distant music intimated the approach of Sir Samuel Bignold (the Mayor) and his friends, and, after the lapse of another second or so, his worship appeared in sight, accompanied by H. Birkbeck, Esq. (the Sheriff of the city), the Duke of Wellington, the Earl of Orford, Sir Fitzroy Kelly, M.P., Sir J. P. Boileau, Bart., Edmond Wodehouse, Esq., M.P., S. M. Peto, Esq., M.P., the Rev. E. Sidney, most of the members of the city magistracy and corporation, several county magistrates, a large number of influential county gentlemen and citizens, J. R. Staff, Esq. (the Town Clerk), Mr. E. E. Benest (the City Surveyor), the Corporation officers bearing the city regalia, &c., &c.—followed by a large procession of the Manchester Unity of Odd Fellows, carrying flags and banners, the most prominent of which bore the mottoes—‘Success to the Free Library,’ ‘Peto, the true Friend of Civil and Religious Liberty,’ ‘The Durability of the Constitution,’ and ‘Education for the People.’ The procession was headed by an excellent brass band, playing, as it approached, the popular air, ‘Cheer, boys, cheer!’ At this stage of the proceedings the outer crowd, in their anxiety to get within view of the proceedings, broke the barriers, overpowered the police, and made a rush to the palisades which surrounded the ground. These, by the weight of the many persons who clung upon them, unfortunately gave way, bringing with them a coping stone to which they were attached, and on which a young man named Samuel Harper had been sitting. He was thrown to the ground, and several people falling upon him he sustained a fracture of one of his ankles. He was immediately conveyed to the hospital, and we are glad to learn is doing well. Several other persons were also injured, but not seriously. Beyond this no accident occurred.
“With the assistance of the City Surveyor and Mr. Stanley, stone-mason, the worthy Mayor then proceeded to discharge his agreeable duty—the laying of the first stone. He used for the purpose a very elegant silver trowel [a][59a] with ivory handle, furnished by the Messrs. Etheridge (which had been presented to his worship by Mr. E. E. Benest) bearing the following inscription on the blade:—
Presented
to
Sir Samuel Bignold, Knight,
Mayor of Norwich,
on the occasion of his laying
the first stone
of
The Free Library,
September 13th,
1854.“Upon the surface of the stone a brass plate was fixed, on which was engraved the following inscription:—
This first stone
of the
Norwich Free Library,
was laid
on the 13th September,
A.D. 1854,
by
Sir Samuel Bignold, Knight,
Mayor of this City in the years
1833-4, 1848-9, 1853-4.
Henry Birkbeck, Esq., Sheriff.
John Rising Staff, Esq., Town Clerk.
Architect—Edward Everett Benest, City Surveyor.”
The ceremony having been completed and the stone securely fixed in its place, addresses were delivered on the contemplated advantages of the library by the Mayor, the Rev. Edwin Sidney, M.A., Rector of Cornard Parva, Suffolk, and author of various works, Mr. Samuel Morton Peto, M.P. for Norwich, Sir J. P. Boileau, Bart., an archæologist of Ketteringham, who was Sheriff of Norfolk in 1844, Sir Fitzroy Kelly, M.P., who in the early part of his legal career was on the Norfolk circuit, and two members of the Council, Mr. W. J. Utten Browne, and Mr. J. H. Tillett. The Town Clerk presented to the Mayor an address from the Norwich District of the Manchester Unity of Oddfellows, begging “most respectfully to tender the thanks of our numerous association to you and the Corporation of this city for the manifestation of regard for the Working Classes in having determined on the erection of a Free Library; feeling assured that such an institution will be welcomed by a large number of the industrious inhabitants, and will prove largely beneficial to all who will avail themselves of the advantages it offers.” In the course of his address the Mayor said: “It has been my lot now, during my life, which has not been a short one, to aid a great many undertakings in this city—insurance offices, spinning factories, waterworks, literary and scientific institutions, and public charities; but I have never lent my assistance to any undertaking which more entirely commends itself to my judgment than that in which I am this day engaged in commencing” . . . “and I must here say that Mr. Tillett has been the main-spring of this undertaking, for
he has never lost sight of it since the act placed it in the hands of the Corporation.”
After the erection of the building had been commenced it was considered that it would be highly advantageous if the School of Art was connected with and formed part of the Library, and the Council authorised the expenditure of a further sum in order to add another story for the accommodation of the School of Art. This involved some delay in the progress of the building, and for various reasons the Library was not ready for opening until March, 1857.
According to the first annual report issued on August 31st, 1858, a special committee appointed by the Council estimated that the total cost of the site and building would amount to £7428 : 5 : 0. “In order to repay Sir Samuel Bignold the amount advanced by him during the progress of the works, and to complete the same, a loan of £6,000, at £5 per cent., was, in 1857, obtained from the Norwich Union Office, and it is to be repaid by instalments of £200 yearly, which, with the interest on the loan, will nearly absorb for several years the rate of one penny in the pound per annum, authorized to be levied under the act . . .” The report proceeded: “The cost of the building has, unfortunately been a subject much talked about and misrepresented, and it should be remembered that the portion of the building occupied by the Library is less than a third of the whole, the other parts being occupied by the Museum, the Literary Institution, and the School of Art. The cost of the building, giving accommodation to all these institutions, has certainly been small compared with the cost of buildings for similar purposes in other towns: in Liverpool, for instance, the building cost £50,000.”
“Under arrangements made with the committee of the Museum, the advantages of that institution have been secured to the citizens on two days of the week, and that such advantages have been appreciated, is evinced by the large number of visitors, chiefly of the working classes, every Monday and Saturday, to inspect the splendid collection of specimens in Natural History.”
“The School of Art was, early in 1857, removed to the upper story of the new building, whereby the annual grant
of £75 made for the support of the institution will be in future saved.”
As the first public library act made no provision for the purchase of books, a subscription fund was commenced for that purpose about the time of the laying of the foundation stone, and the following donations, with others, were soon made: The Duke of Wellington £50, Lord Wodehouse £25, Lord Suffield £25, Sir Samuel Bignold £21, Mr. J. H. Gurney, M.P., £50, and Mr. S. M. Peto, M.P., £50. At the time of the first annual report the total amount of donations received for the purchase of books, etc., and interest thereon was £357 : 7 : 1, nearly all of which had been expended in the purchase of books, periodicals and newspapers.