Fifty years after Gorleston’s Carnegie Library was demolished to make way for a new one, a permanent exhibition has been created as a reminder of the much-loved building.

The display was opened on Saturday, May 11, with an event organised by the Gorleston Library Friends who have worked on the project alongside library staff and the Gorleston on Sea Heritage Group (GOSH).

The Gorleston Library Archive Collection includes photographs, a collection of porcelain souvenirs, a painting by local artist Geoff Chatten and a library of local history books collected by the late former councillor and historian Arthur Ecclestone.

In pride of place is a stained-glass portrait of William Shakespeare and a carved wooden eagle with the town crest which was a feature of the staircase in the old building.

Great Yarmouth Mercury: The opening of the Gorleston Archive Collection at the library on May 11.The opening of the Gorleston Archive Collection at the library on May 11. (Image: Supplied)READ MORE: A decade of protecting Gorleston’s history

It was former librarian Margaret Evans who suggested the idea of an exhibition space when she discovered the stained glass and the carving collecting dust in a cupboard.

Ms Evans, who retired at Easter after 25 years at Gorleston, shared the idea with library manager Julie Barnadas and they involved Sheila Russell, chair of the library friends group who were keen to fundraise and help the project.

Ms Barnadas said it had taken six years to achieve because of lockdown and other complications.

Norfolk County Council provided three large display cabinets.

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Great Yarmouth Mercury: Stained-glass portrait of William Shakespeare, from the old Carnegie Library in Gorleston, on display in the library on High Street.Stained-glass portrait of William Shakespeare, from the old Carnegie Library in Gorleston, on display in the library on High Street. (Image: Supplied)

Former librarian Michael Bean, who began his career as a junior at Gorleston Library, said the library was proving too small for the growing Gorleston area and offered little space for the staff.

In 1975, the Carnegie library and a former tram service depot were demolished and the site was developed into the present-day library.

For several years, the library friends have been raising money to bring back to the High Street the large clock which was a prominent feature of the old building.