Ten reasons why the future proposals for Downpatrick Library are cause for concern

Ten reasons why the future proposals for Downpatrick Library are cause for concern

2 July 2025

THE report outlining the proposed changes to Downpatrick Library in the June 4 edition of the Down Recorder made for depressing reading.

The plans, devised by Libraries NI, include moving the Cultural Heritage Gallery into the main library area to make way for what Libraries NI refer to as a “bespoke art gallery and cultural performance space”.

The Cultural Heritage Gallery contains an unrivalled collection of books and resources on local history, architecture and society. While the planned change might seem insignificant to the casual observer, the many users of the much-acclaimed Cultural Heritage Gallery have been shocked by the move.

Many of their concerns are set out below in a piece that has been endorsed by a number of local councillors and by several groups including the Lecale and Downe Historical Society, Comber Historical Society, Saintfield Heritage Society, Crossgar Historical Society, Dromore Historical Society, Carryduff Historical Society, the Friends of Down County Museum, Downe U3A, Lisburn Family History Society, the Northern Ireland Family History Society, Downe Old Car Club and Killyleagh Family History Society.

Many members of these groups are regular users of the excellent resources held in the Cultural Heritage Gallery. These concerns will certainly reflect the views of the many independent and unaffiliated researchers who avail of the materials held in the gallery and yet may not be aware of the proposals because of the lack of consultation on the issue.

One

The downsizing of a unique and valuable archive

Opening the Cultural Heritage Gallery in 2011 after the closure of Library Headquarters in Ballynahinch, the late Dr Maurice Hayes detailed the importance of the new repository.

“I congratulate Libraries NI for the wisdom of their decision to keep the collection together, to transfer it as a whole,” he said. This was, he continued, “a great resource for scholars, and represented the skill and dedication of staff over the years in acquiring, assembling, cataloguing and conserving the material so as to make it readily accessible to a wider public”.

The collection is a marvellous resource containing books, pamphlets, maps, journals, official records, newspapers and cuttings relevant to County Down and the surrounding areas. Many of the materials found in the gallery are not available elsewhere, not even in Belfast’s world-famous Linen Hall Library.

To move the Heritage Gallery, as is proposed, out of its current location within the Downpatrick Library building and into the main library floorspace will mean a shrinkage of the study and storage area which can only mean a shrinkage of the archive. It will, of course, also mean a reduction in the size of the current main library and its stock in order to accommodate the Heritage Gallery’s resources and hardware.

Two

Where there’s a will there is also a moral obligation

A spokesperson for Libraries NI stated that a new venue established in the space vacated by the current Cultural Heritage Gallery would be called the ‘Elizabeth Saul Art Gallery and Cultural Performance Space’.

Miss Elizabeth Saul was a great benefactor to the town of Downpatrick. Her last will and testament, which is in the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland, stated that “All the residue of my estate in trust to apply same for the advancement of education and the establishment of a public library in the town of Downpatrick”.

Miss Saul’s clear motivation was to provide books for reading, enrichment and education. It is lovely to learn that a trust in Miss Saul’s name still exists. That funding in her name for the new exhibition area should take precedence over the library’s core business, and Miss Saul’s expressed wish, however, is disappointing in the extreme. 

Three

Is another exhibition and performance space in Downpatrick really needed?

Downpatrick is a town rich in heritage and culture, with great tourism potential. Regeneration work in the town, driven by local energy and a spirit of improvement, is providing great cause for optimism.

The town is rich in outstanding exhibition and performance spaces, with an arts centre in the historic Assembly Hall, the Saint Patrick Centre in the heart of the town, the Downshire Hospital’s Great Hall and in the excellent Down County Museum.

Every school and church in the district can host – and has hosted – a diverse range of cultural events. With such an array of dynamic and specialised resources, the need for another exhibition space is difficult to see, especially when its creation will deprive the county of such a formidable archive.

Four

Lack of public engagement and consultation

One of the most disappointing aspects of the proposed change to Downpatrick Library is the lack of any discernible public engagement.

Before taking a decision of this importance, it would be best practice to carry out a feasibility study and consult with stakeholders as to the benefits or otherwise of such a drastic change. It would appear that this was not undertaken, and it is unclear whether even the branch staff were consulted or informed.

The change to the location and, ipso facto, the status of the Cultural Heritage Gallery seems to have been introduced by stealth. The optics of this are not great. 

Five

Research and writing

The Cultural Heritage Gallery attracts researchers, writers, genealogists and members of the general public who seek information about the county.

Within the last few months, three significant books on aspects of local history have been published and in all these cases, material accessed in the Heritage Gallery has helped inform the work of the authors.

Any diminution of the resources available for consultation will have a negative impact on historical output. Local history groups from across County Down have expressed serious concerns about what has been proposed. Locally, the annual journal of the Lecale and Downe Historical Society – Lecale Review – is reliant on access to the extensive archive held in the Cultural Heritage Gallery.

Furthermore, it seems unlikely that the current microfilm provision, used daily, will persist in any new arrangement given the demand on space that these machines require.

Local studies are, quite rightly, regarded as being crucial in terms of providing people in local communities with a social function, allowing us to locate our areas within a broader canvas of the human experience and reach an understanding of a past to which we can all subscribe.

It will be a sad day when literary output is curtailed because of a decision taken by a library service. 

Six

Footfall and borrowing

By their very nature, the resources held in the Cultural Heritage Gallery are for reference. Hundreds of people use the space each month to consult the materials held there.

It seems, however, that the limited number of books being borrowed is viewed with suspicion. Users consult the materials onsite in the businesslike atmosphere established by the knowledgeable and helpful staff and it is quite proper that reference materials as well as rare, valuable books are not being taken away by members of the public.

The Cultural Heritage Gallery is a laboratory of research, writing and discovery. Regular users and visitors leave this valuable repository with answers to the questions they had on arrival. 

Seven

The impact on the main library in Downpatrick

Downpatrick Library is an inviting place for the public. Parents and children are absorbed by the range of books in the children’s section while numerous community groups are welcomed at various times throughout the week. School and college students come in to do homework, revise or use the ICT facilities.

Moving the Cultural Heritage function into the main library space will likely mean reducing the number of computer terminals available, and the main borrowing section will, by necessity, be reduced in size, meaning an inevitable contraction of library stock.

To have a research facility absorbed within a wider community function seems incongruous for all library users.

Eight

Increase ‘accessibility and visibility’. Really?

A spokesperson for Libraries NI claimed that moving the Cultural Heritage Gallery from its current location into the adjacent main library “will increase visibility and engagement”.

This argument would hold some credence if the current resource were in an adjacent town or even in a separate building. Today, the Cultural Heritage Gallery is entered through a signposted door in the main library, close to the issue desk, computer terminals and the toilets. The door has glass panels, and the heritage space is perfectly visible from the library floor.

Its existence is a mystery to no one, nor is the door a barrier. 

Nine

Those who donated materials in good faith

Such is the standing of the Cultural Heritage Gallery that numerous individuals and societies from across County Down have, over the years, donated books, photographs, maps, newspaper cuttings and miscellanea in the knowledge that valuable materials would be maintained and made available for public consultation in that venue.

The risk of resources, many of which were the product of wills and family wishes, being lost or separated is very real if, as expected, the Cultural Heritage Gallery is to occupy a smaller space, with reduced shelving and storage capacity.

Future archival donations will be deposited elsewhere, depriving future generations of the access they will need to tell the story of local personalities, customs and practice. 

Ten

Serving the community

There is a wonderful spirit of optimism existing in the town, with local people, businesses and elected representatives working hard to instil a visionary culture of improvement which recognises the potential of an area that witnessed the patron saint communicate his spiritual mission and the Norman knight John de Courcy shape the region’s built heritage.

Downpatrick is open for business and, despite funding crises and devastating floods, a positive outlook rises above the gloom. It can only be hoped that Libraries NI will pause, reconsider, and listen to the concerns of local people.

Representatives of political parties and local history societies are rallying in support of a wonderful institution that is currently under threat. We urge Libraries NI to listen to the public voice, acknowledge its own educational role and review its decision to appropriate the name of Miss Elizabeth Saul for a purpose contrary to her expressed final wish.