An online game exploring the history of Chatham's first public library has been released, marking what would have been the building's 118th anniversary. The online escape room is inspired by the story of an Edwardian library that stood in New Road, Chatham, near the Luton Arches, until it was demolished in the 1980s. The Lost Library takes players through a series of films and puzzles to go back in time and find out the lost secrets of the building. Chatham resident Natasha Boardman-Steer, founder of community arts organisation Creatabot, created the online activity in a bid to combine gaming with heritage and historic items from Medway Archives Centre for the first time. Natasha said: "Finding out interesting facts about where we live often helps us connect more to our surroundings and improve our wellbeing. "There are a number of legendary mysteries people often talk about in Medway including the huge networks of tunnels, but this game explores some facts about the lost library on New Road and helps us think about what we have now that we would like to hold onto into our future." The free online game takes around an hour to play and is best suited to small groups of people. It was commissioned by Arches Local, a resident-led group delivering positive local change on either side of the Luton Arches. The group received £1 million in National Lottery funding as part of the Big Local initiative across the UK towards projects improving the lives of local people, including tree planting, sporting activities and community art sessions. George Atzev, chair at Arches Local, said: "We are really pleased to have worked with Natasha to launch Medway's first online escape room celebrating the untold stories of a building that played such an important role to many in our community. "Recognising local history through new, innovative and fun ways brings Medway's past much closer to the people that live here to help explore their experiences of the area and shape their identity." The library, which was the first in Chatham, was designed by George E. Bond, the local architect famously behind buildings such as Chatham Town Hall (now The Brook Theatre) and Theatre Royal.
It was opened by the Mayor of Chatham, Councillor William Driver, on 7 October 1903 with more than 5,000 books available to local residents. The library was extended to include a new junior library in May 1962, which became home to around 12,000 children's books. In 1971 the library closed due to dry rot and relocated to a new building at Chatham Riverside, before it was demolished in May 1984. The site of the old Chatham Public Library is now a car park behind Five Ways Court, a block of social housing flats. To play the free game visit the Arches Local website and place your order. Comments are closed.
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August 2023
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