A unique piece of Kent's library history has been saved from the scrap heap and unveiled at one of its "pioneering" former branches.

Swanscombe Library was first opened on November 6, 1928 above the old fire station in Church Road.

Local historian Christoph Bull discusses Kent's "pioneering" library

Until its relocation at the turn of the century it was among the longest serving branches inside its original building in the county.

The service was held up as a "pioneering" example that was ahead of its time, helping to bring books to the poorer, working classes when access to information was often patchy and barred by costs.

Now in a nod to its unique past, an original sign has been saved from the scrap heap and installed inside its former home at the Old Fire Station Café.

Christoph Bull, who was Kent public librarian and manager between 1977 and 2013, rescued the old redundant signage from being skipped.

He stored it in his loft and has now handed it over to Swanscombe and Greenhithe Town Council who have unveiled it for permanent public display.

According to the local historian, the cement town was one of only a handful across the whole of Kent to have a full county library service point with a paid staff member.

In the early days, the County Council started sending basic boxes of books to rural libraries, schools and in some cases people's front rooms.

But in a revolutionary step to drive forward improvements to the lives of the poorer working classes, the then Swanscombe Urban District Council readily agreed to provide a branch in their former chamber above the fire station from 1929 onwards.

The former librarian said: "Swanscombe library was one of the very first pioneering libraries in the Kent County system.

"It actually opened a year earlier with a volunteer but the town council, the urban district as they were then called, were so keen on allowing the people of this poor working class town to have access to information for leisure, pleasure, all the things you take for granted."

He added: "It was significant because it was one of the first council services that had paid members of staff.

"There were two to three hundred (libraries) in the county but all were run by volunteers with boxes of books. Only seven or eight had a paid member of staff."

Nearby, Dartford and Gravesend had their own independent branches but access was limited to rate payers and subscription-based.

Many residents in Swanscombe lacked the funds to purchase their own books and so the local urban council took the decision to invest in its own library service.

Christoph said the move "shamed" nearby Northfleet, which had a larger population but did not provide the same service and consequently many locals ended up flocking to their neighbouring branch.

On the day of its opening a boy, aged around eight, was spotted carrying out a book deemed well above his reading age about African birds.

When quizzed by library staff he responded he had checked out the book because it was worth 17 shillings and sixpence – roughly equivalent to £40 – and it was his first chance to handle something so expensive.

Christoph likened it to people getting access to the internet for the first time, branding it "completely revolutionary".

"If you lived in Swanscombe and could not afford to pay to use Dartford and Gravesend branches where would you find information?" he said.

"Having a public library was like having fibre optic broadband in today's terms. Imagine if you didn't have it."

In 1968 when the new fire station was built, it moved downstairs to occupy the ground floor.

Eventually, when Kent County Library and the 15 other independent municipal libraries joined together in 1974, Swanscombe was absorbed into the newly-created Dartford district.

The current Swanscombe branch has been located inside Ebbsfleet Academy School since 2002.

However, Christoph felt that the centenary of Kent County Library this month would be the ideal occasion to re-introduce locals to a piece of their shared history.

Together with Town Mayor of Swanscombe & Greenhithe, Lesley Howes, he helped unveil the sign to spectators at an event held at the Old Fire Station Café.

And the local historian believes libraries still have a huge role to play in society, adding: "Twenty years ago I was Google. Reading a book in person is completely different from then reading it online.

"It is about real people meeting real people in a real-life environment."

Kent County Council is currently consulting on its library services post-pandemic and is encouraging residents to have their say online.

Mike Hill, KCC’s cabinet member for community and regulatory services, said: “We know how popular the library service is with our residents, and I am extremely proud of the way our staff have worked so hard over the past few months to cope with the effects of the pandemic and restore the service to previous levels.

“We have now reopened all our 99 libraries and mobile libraries with measures in place to ensure we keep everyone as safe as possible.

“Our current strategy runs until the end of 2022, and whether you are a current library user or not, we need your help to develop a new one.

"Our early conversations with library users, residents and partners will be vital in helping to shape Kent library services for the future.

“I encourage as many people as possible to take part in this exercise.”

Click here to view the consultation.