WMC principal Dipa Ganguli, centre, with chair of governors Guy Shackle and Dr Barbara Brockway, second from right, and staff and students

THE bookshelves of the Working Men’s College (WMC) have been quietly looked after by genera­tions of students dating back more than 150 years.

And this week its historic library was reopened after a comprehensive restoration project part funded by a bequest from a former tutor and technician.

Kathryn Brownlee, who worked at the Crowndale Road-based further education institute in the 1970s, left funds in her will after she died aged 75 in 2021.

At an opening launch on Thursday, principal Dipa Ganguli remembered her first impression of the “wonderful but so decrepit” library with “paint peeling off the ceiling”, adding: “I just thought ‘gosh, I hope one day we can do something with this’. It has a modern feel, but without destroying the heritage of the library.”

The college was founded in 1854 and the library still holds volumes from the first cohort of Victorian students. The progressive thinkers it attracted as tutors included George Orwell and composer Ralph Vaughan Williams.

Ms Ganguli added: “Carpenters working on libraries would hide items in the bookshelves to help ward off evil with magical charms. There may not be the same magic objects but this reopening is the celebration of continuity. We hope it is inspiring to our students. Further education colleges should never feel like a poor relation.”

Dr Barbara Brockway, the executor of Ms Brownlee’s will, said: “Kathryn had many passions, one of them collecting books. She was a very practical person – she worked here as a technician and if you wanted something done, Kate was the person to go to.

“Her bequest shows how much she valued the WMC, and how much you valued her.”