Newcastle's Lit & Phil welcomes 'fantastically generous' £1m donation from Barbour Foundation

The Lit & Phil has welcomed a donation of £1m from the Barbour foundation which will be used in an attempt to secure the building's future.

Bosses see the donation as a major endorsement of the historic independent library on Westgate Road, and is one of the largest sums ever award to a single organisation by the charity set up in 1988 by the South Shields retailer. The donation will go towards structural improvements and creating better accessibility to the Grade II listed library, which opened in 1825.

In recent years, energy costs have soared and maintenance on the historical building has proved "incredibly expensive", especially for a library which is funded by membership subscriptions, room hires, and a public events programme. However, a team of Newcastle-based architects have identified a slew of improvements that are aimed at bringing the building back to its former glory, as well as raising income further.

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Mary Durkin, chair of the Lit & Phil, said that she was "very grateful" to receive the cheque from Dame Margaret Barbour, DBE. She said: "The Lit & Phil was supported by local industry and commerce during its early years, notably by locomotive designer Robert Stephenson who in 1855 rescued the building at a time of financial difficulty.

"Dame Margaret and The Barbour Foundation have echoed that support with this fantastically generous donation which goes a long way towards helping us achieve our aims for the Lit & Phil. For nearly 200 years it has been at the heart of cultural life on Tyneside, a place of enlightenment valued by people from all walks of life.

"Our intention is that it should continue in that role for many more years and that more people should benefit from its collections and extensive programme of events."

The donation comes after the Barbours were named not only on the Sunday Times Rich List, with a wealth of £537m, but also on the Giving List, having donated a total of £8.5m to good causes in 2023. The foundation has also donated £100,000 towards the restoration of the 142-year-old Herd Groyne Lighthouse in South Shields.

Dame Margaret Barbour, DBE, said there was no more deserving cause than the Lit & Phil. She said: "With a history and heritage of over 200 years, it’s of huge cultural significance to the region. The Barbour Foundation’s donation will go towards structural improvements and creating better accessibility, ensuring all can enjoy it."

The library celebrates its 200th anniversary next year, and was opened by the Literary & Philosophical Society of Newcastle upon Tyne, intended as a forum for sharing ideas during the early years of the Industrial Revolution. It is hoped that the improvements to the building will complement the Lit & Phil's reputation for "enlightened discussion".

The improvements identified include greater energy efficiency, better disabled access (currently there is a chairlift up to the first-floor library but not lift), and updated toilet facilities. Reconfiguring ground floor spaces could also allow multiple events to take place simultaneously, generating more income.

Tim Bailey, head of practice at Xsite, the Newcastle-based architects who identified the improvements, said: "Rather than a millstone, it gives us a perfect opportunity to demonstrate how buildings can be seen not as problematic because they’re old and listed but exciting because they’re old and listed. It gives us a chance to show a good way forward."

Lastly, Alexander Armstrong, TV presenter and Lit & Phil president, described the donation as a "marvellous boost". He said: "The Lit & Phil is a very special place.

"How fitting that it should be supported so handsomely by a Tyneside company whose products are known around the world. This is a marvellous boost to the campaign to make the Lit & Phil secure for decades to come."