ONE of the last remaining pieces of Edwardian elegance in Darwen town centre is heading for the chop.

The original wooden counter at Darwen Library is to be partly taken out within a few weeks to make way for self-service machines and bins for returned books.

John East, chairman of the Friends of Darwen Library, explained: “The council had planned to remove about 15ft of counter area and we have been working hard with them to try to save some of that.

“We have now reached a compromise which is probably the best we could have hoped for. But about 11ft of counter area will be lost. We tried hard and it’s disappointing but have done our best.”

Harold Heys, secretary of the FoDL said: “We made a firm stand and put forward a couple of ideas to save the lovely old counter, most of which goes back to the opening in 1908, but we were fighting a losing battle. We have to be realistic in these difficult times.”

• The next exhibition to be held at the library will feature about 50 drawings by Darwen artist James Hargreaves Morton who was killed towards the end of the Great War.

They were bought by Darwen solicitor Edwin Yates at the 1971 auction of Morton’s work. Gerry Yates, son of the former alderman and the town’s last Freeman of the Borough, has loaned them to the Friends for the display.

They were nearly all drawn in the years between 1905 and 1911 and were part of a job lot of eight sketch books. They include animals, farms, family members and local scenes.