The Linen Hall Library, established in 1788, is the last surviving subscription library in Ireland. Famous for its unrivalled Irish and local studies archives, consisting of some 186,000 books, and its definitive Northern Ireland political collection, which contains in excess of 135,000 items from all parties.

Restored in 2001 by William Dowling Ltd at a cost of £3.3m, the project saw a dramatic new entrance and gallery area connecting the original main building to the listed Georgian building to the rear, which provided new reading rooms, book stacks and administrative areas as well as space for public events.

In a second phase of building work the original library building was refurbished to include new issue desks, environmental and IT services and a new coffee shop. The library remained opened through out the building work.

Poet Seamus Heaney gave the restoration his seal of approval when viewing the building after its facelift.

“The new library is a beautiful building conceived by the architect, attractive to enter, to work in and a credit to all associated with it," he said.

"It reminds you by its very modernity, its brightness and its enlightening quality, the Linen Hall Library is not just a link with the past (though it is valuably and forever cherished for that) but a threshold to the future. In our cultural and our historical understanding that the words ‘the Linen Hall Library’ represent not just books, but better hopes for the way we live.”