Allahabad Public Library, also known as Thornhill Mayne Memorial, is a public library situated at Chandrashekhar Azad Park in

Prayagraj Allahabad (), officially known as Prayagraj, also known as Ilahabad, is a metropolis in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.The other five cities were: Agra, Kanpur (Cawnpore), Lucknow, Meerut, and Varanasi (Benares). It is the admini ...

. Established in 1864, it is the biggest library in the state of

Uttar Pradesh Uttar Pradesh (; , 'Northern Province') is a state in northern India. With over 200 million inhabitants, it is the most populated state in India as well as the most populous country subdivision in the world. It was established in 195 ...

. The building was designed by Richard Roskell Bayne and is considered a remarkable example of Scottish Baronial Revival architecture. The monument has served as the house of legislative assembly in British era when Allahabad was the capital of United Provinces. In 1879, the Public library was shifted to the present premises at Chandrashekhar Azad Park.

Holdings

The library has an approximate collection of 125,000 books, 40 types of magazines and 28 different newspapers in

Hindi Hindi (Devanāgarī: or , ), or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi (Devanagari: ), is an Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in the Hindi Belt region encompassing parts of northern, central, eastern, and western India. Hindi has been ...

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ...

Urdu Urdu (;"Urdu"
'' Bangla Bangla (Bengali: বাংলা) may refer to: *Bengali language, an eastern Indo-Aryan language *The endonym of Bengal, a geographical and ethno-linguistic region in South Asia *''Bangla-'', a prefix indicating Bangladesh Businesses and organ ...

and contains 21

Arabic Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C. E.Watson; Walter ...

manuscripts. It also has a collection of old government publications, parliamentary papers, and blue books of the 19th century, old manuscripts and journals.

Building

The building known as Thornhill Mayne Memorial is situated at

Alfred Park Chandrashekhar Azad Park (also known by its former name Alfred Park, and Company Bagh during the Company Raj) is a public park in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh, India. Built in 1870 to mark Prince Alfred's visit to the city, with an area of 13 ...

and was designed by Richard Roskell Bayne in

Scottish Baronial architecture Scottish baronial or Scots baronial is an architectural style of 19th century Gothic Revival which revived the forms and ornaments of historical architecture of Scotland in the Late Middle Ages and the Early Modern Period. Reminiscent of Sco ...

with sharp pillars and

turrets Turret may refer to: * Turret (architecture), a small tower that projects above the wall of a building * Gun turret, a mechanism of a projectile-firing weapon * Objective turret, an indexable holder of multiple lenses in an optical microscope * M ...

of granite and sandstone. It represents structural polychromy with lofty towers and arcaded

cloisters A cloister (from Latin ''claustrum'', "enclosure") is a covered walk, open gallery, or open arcade running along the walls of buildings and forming a quadrangle or garth. The attachment of a cloister to a cathedral or church, commonly against ...

. When completed in 1870, the building cost approx. INR 94,222. It was funded by Commissioner of Allahabad, Mr. Mayne and was opened as a memorial to Cuthbert Bensley Thornhill.

References

{{Authority control Public libraries in India Buildings and structures in Allahabad Libraries in Uttar Pradesh Tourist attractions in Allahabad Library buildings completed in 1870 1870 establishments in India

Holdings

Building

See also

References