A TREASURED painting of the first Tavistock Subscription Library has been returned to its home after much needed restoration. The painting, an oil on canvas, is called The Propylaeum and cost just under £1,000 to restore. It now hangs, once again, alongside the portraits of the library's four founder members, the 6th Duke of Bedford and Sir Francis Drake. The elegant building has an odd history — built in 1821 for less than £1,000, its location near Court Gate did not suit the then Duke of Bedford's plans for the area. They included the reinstatement of the near derelict Court Gate on Bedford Square and its extension to include the cottage adjacent to the police station. In 1832, the Duke had the splendid Grecian-style library building demolished and granted its owners use of the large room above the Court Gate arch together with a well appointed lecture hall and a small ground floor room in the extension. The cottage was occupied by the full-time librarian. The lecture hall has had other occupiers, including an associated Mechanics' Club and the Society of Freemasons. In 1965, membership of the library had declined below the level that could support all the accommodation.
Books by local authors and on local subjects were retained in the ground floor room and the rest disposed of. There are now under 80 members, each with a key to enter and browse among the several hundred local books and a wide range of magazines. John Gale, the library's honorary secretary, who can be contacted at Longash, Princetown, PL20 6ST or on 01822 890293, welcomes enquiries from prospective members.