[4] In 1899 Vincent Stuckey Lean left a bequest of £50,000 to replace Bristol's old public library building on King Street.

An architectural competition was organised, and won by the firm of H. Percy Adams with designs by his assistant Charles Holden, at a cost of £30,000.

[9][10] The north front of the building is a blend of Tudor Revival and Modern Movement styles, designed to harmonise with the adjoining Abbey Gatehouse.

[4] The rear facades to the south and east are in a plainer style, with vertical features such as towers and flat buttresses being used to frame the great mass of the building.

Holden's approach to handling large volumes, of which his design for the Library was one of the most highly regarded examples, made him influential within the Modern Movement.