A retired former biochemist has donated several of his books to The Life Rooms Walton after recalling fond memories of using the library while growing up in Liverpool.
Laurence Croft, who left Liverpool in 1962 and now lives in Hampshire, grew up in the Walton area of the city and still remembers being taken to the former Walton and Central libraries as a boy.
“Walton Library was the first library I every went to,” recalled Laurence, who is 82 this year. “My father took my when I was about five or six and I can still remember the book I borrowed all those years ago – it was an illustrated book about space travel.
“The libraries had such a big influence on me when I was growing up in Liverpool and that’s why I donated the books. Reading the books in the library got me into writing, really.”
Although he has worked as a biochemist, Laurence has written several books, both novels, under the pen name Innes Brown, and non-fiction, and as a talented artist, he has also painted the cover illustrations for some of them.
Among the books he has donated are a novel he wrote in 1997 about Liverpool called ‘The Liverpool Venus’ and several historical books including Whiskey on a Sunday, the story of a girl from Liverpool called Joyce Hughes, who suffered an attack in Lake District and her story of survival.
Laurence has also donated ‘Cyanide and Chalk’, a mystery about a teacher at the school he attended, Walton Technical School, who mysteriously died in front of his class in the 1930s after drinking some cyanide.
He has also donated a book called ‘The University Ramblers’, after coming across a photograph album of their club in 1925, identified each member and researched what happened to each of the students.
Anyone interested in borrowing any of Laurence’s books can visit The Life Rooms Walton and ask a member of staff for more information.
The Life Rooms Walton
Evered Avenue, L9 2AF
Tel: 0151 478 6556