FREE LIBRARY WINTER GARDENS. 9 



man the town is indebted also for the clock-tower of the Cam- 

 bridge Hall and the stone front and spire of Christ Church. 

 The architecture of the exterior of the Free Library and Art 

 Gallery, designed by the Messrs. Waddington, of Burnley, is 

 composite Italian, a style which allows of the introduction of 

 abundance of graceful ornament, without temptation to unwise 

 luxury, and certainly a better example of chaste adhesion to 

 the laws of purity in architecture would be hard to find. The 

 main gallery of the portion devoted to the Fine Arts is 67 feet 

 in length ; two other picture galleries are each about 45 feet 

 in length ; and in addition to these there are smaller ones for 

 sculpture and miscellaneous articles. The wall space available 

 for pictures exceeds 6,000 feet. The Free Library contains, 

 in the reference department, about 1,127 volumes, and in the 

 lending department about 10,931 volumes. Other apartments 

 are available for meetings, such as those of the Southport 

 Literary and Philosophical Society, which usually assembles 

 here. 



Over and above its indebtedness to Mr. Atkinson, Southport 

 has good reason to be grateful to another gentleman for some 

 buildings, and for several scientific gifts of real beauty and 

 usefulness namely, the late Mr. John Fernley. Trinity 

 Wesleyan Chapel ; the School for the Daughters of Wesleyan 

 Ministers, opposite to the Chapel both exceedingly hand- 

 some structures; the Drinking Fountain, and Barometer upon 

 the Promenade ; and the Observatory in Hesketh Park were 

 all provided by the munificence of Mr. Fernley. 



In Lord-street are also found the Winter Gardens, an 

 establishment so complex and complete in the variety of the 

 enjoyment it provides alike for the permanent inhabitants of 



