4
Books, Views and Brews
This is a great building in a lovely location and is well-connected to public transport links. It sits right on the dock, so the surrounding area was really lovely and there were lots of places where you could sit outside and enjoy the view. It’s right next door to Canada Water Tube Station and Canada Water Bus Station.
The ground floor of the building has a cafe, toilets and a theatre. While the theatre wasn’t open when I visited, I could hear some operatic singing coming from inside which was exciting! There was an accessible toilet on this floor but it was quite small and cramped. The cafe was nice with a large selection of snacks, drinks and bigger dishes, such as toasties and sandwiches. It didn’t have a lowered counter but the staff were really helpful and brought my order over to me at my table. There was a small amount of seating for those using the cafe. The tables were standard height (not raised, bar height) with wooden chairs that could be moved as needed.
There were two lifts that took you to the other floors where the main part of the library was located. A large curved staircase in the centre of the building also took you up to the main part of the library. It had a grab rails on both sides of the staircase and flat sections as you went up. The first floor had the main part of the library with most of the books that were available. This included the fiction section, the children’s library and a DVD section. There was a helpdesk located by the lifts, as well as self-service stations. Some computer stations were also on this floor, as well as a dock where you could borrow a tablet.
The top floor was smaller and was like a balcony overlooking the first floor of the main library and it had some more genres available. This area was much quieter and was clearly for more focused work. This floor was also where the meeting rooms were located.
There were lots of seating options on both floors of the library: larger tables for groups and a selection of individual seating options. The group areas were standard tables and chairs usually with a power socket nearby. The individual seating options varied, some were individual desks, some longer communal desks and some more comfortable seating. They also had printing facilities available on both floors.
There were three accessible toilets here although one was out of order when I visited. One of them was marked as a Changing Places Toilet although it was quite small and seemed to be missing certain components of a Changing Places Toilet.
Overall, it's a lovely library with a good selection of items to loan. The cafe had an impressive selection on offer and the staff were great. The toilets might have been a struggle for those with more complex access needs but having more than one on site gave more options. It felt like a safe space where you could relax or get some work done.
This is a great building in a lovely location and is well-connected to public transport links. It sits right on the dock, so the surrounding area was really lovely and there were lots of places where you could sit outside and enjoy the view. It’s right next door to Canada Water Tube Station and Canada Water Bus Station.
The ground floor of the building has a cafe, toilets and a theatre. While the theatre wasn’t open when I visited, I could hear some operatic singing coming from inside which was exciting! There was an accessible toilet on this floor but it was quite small and cramped. The cafe was nice with a large selection of snacks, drinks and bigger dishes, such as toasties and sandwiches. It didn’t have a lowered counter but the staff were really helpful and brought my order over to me at my table. There was a small amount of seating for those using the cafe. The tables were standard height (not raised, bar height) with wooden chairs that could be moved as needed.
There were two lifts that took you to the other floors where the main part of the library was located. A large curved staircase in the centre of the building also took you up to the main part of the library. It had a grab rails on both sides of the staircase and flat sections as you went up. The first floor had the main part of the library with most of the books that were available. This included the fiction section, the children’s library and a DVD section. There was a helpdesk located by the lifts, as well as self-service stations. Some computer stations were also on this floor, as well as a dock where you could borrow a tablet.
The top floor was smaller and was like a balcony overlooking the first floor of the main library and it had some more genres available. This area was much quieter and was clearly for more focused work. This floor was also where the meeting rooms were located.
There were lots of seating options on both floors of the library: larger tables for groups and a selection of individual seating options. The group areas were standard tables and chairs usually with a power socket nearby. The individual seating options varied, some were individual desks, some longer communal desks and some more comfortable seating. They also had printing facilities available on both floors.
There were three accessible toilets here although one was out of order when I visited. One of them was marked as a Changing Places Toilet although it was quite small and seemed to be missing certain components of a Changing Places Toilet.
Overall, it's a lovely library with a good selection of items to loan. The cafe had an impressive selection on offer and the staff were great. The toilets might have been a struggle for those with more complex access needs but having more than one on site gave more options. It felt like a safe space where you could relax or get some work done.
For additional detailed accessibility information, please contact: canada.water@thealbany.org.uk
