Upper Norwood library was a hotbed of blackmail and mutiny at the turn of the 20th century, according to a historian.

Jerry Savage, the library’s reference and local history specialist, told the Norwood Society how the first chief librarian, William A Stobie, was challenged for control by his senior assistant George Churchill and two juniors George Stevens and George Allard.

The trio told Mr Stobie he was overly strict, his behaviour was being monitored and written records kept.

Mr Savage said: “Effectively they started to blackmail him and warn him that if he did not like the new regime they would go to Mr Jast, the chief librarian at Croydon.

The targeted Mr Stobie said: “All I have done is to encourage them to be more industrious in their work.”

Mr Savage said: “Churchill had a total lack of interest in his work. What he did like to do was disappear off to the basement to read books like Moll Flanders.

“Stobie altered the staffing timetable so Churchill could have two-hour breaks to travel to Croydon and back for hot dinners.”

Churchill and Stevens were eventually sacked by the library’s joint committee in 1906, but allowed to work out their month’s notice.

Mr Stobie, traumatised by the events of the blackmail, left shortly afterwards to become chief cataloguer in the public library of South Australia in Adelaide.

The idea for the library began in 1895 when representatives from Croydon and Lambeth met to discuss the possibility of setting up a library to serve the border area where the two boroughs met. The contract to build the library was awarded to Henry Leney, an Anerley builder.

Opened on July 4, 1900 it had a ground floor lending library with 8,500 volumes and a newsroom.

The first floor was left unused until 1903 when the reference library was established.