An ode to Brotherton West Wing, gone but not forgotten

A great tragedy has befallen us. Our dear friend Brotherton West has undergone a distressing refurb, its modest simplicity stripped and replaced with the most basic consumerist trash.

The library of choice for a stress-free study session, the old Brotherton West Wing did just the job. The perfect spot that was spacious yet cosy, and always came with a high probability of finding a seat.

No frills. No gimmicks. The West Wing was appreciated for its absence of complication.

Die hard Bro Westers used to flock to their beloved library space to bask in its purity and humbleness.

But now all we have are our memories…

Brotherton West Wing, an ode

You weren't quite to everyone’s taste, but your volume levels were ideal for optimum study; quiet enough to be able to focus, but loud enough to be able to escape the shushing of any angry librarians.

No other library on campus offered the same mellow ambience; the tense silence of the rest of Brotherton made us feel uneasy, while the infestation of rowdy freshers on Eddy B level 10 produced far too much noise for us to get any work done.

There was not only something special about you, Brotherton West, but also those who visited; a select crew of regulars who rejected the mainstream of the overcrowded Eddy B and pretentiously overachieving Laidlaw. For us, you became a second home.

During exam season, you replaced RPP and the smoking area at Beaverworks, as the most sociable place in Leeds. Getting up at 9am isn’t so bad when you know you’ll be able to find the perfect table with enough space for all your books and all your pals. For us, you were worth it.

We will forever treasure the memories we had with you, like when you let us slip out for a ciggie and grab much needed revision fuel from Bakery 164, and saved us our spot while we were gone. You even let us snack at our desk when we couldn't leave our seats because of impending deadlines.

But now this Laidlaw infection has taken ahold of you, Brotherton West, and we have been left library-less. This fresh plague of modern interiors, reminiscent of a "shite hotel lobby", an "airport lounge," and "Laidlaw’s puke," are sickening to those who used to revel in your simplicity.

The gigantic seats are a gigantic waste of space and the desks are smaller than our laptops – not that that's even a problem: there are zero plug sockets anyway.

Can someone please explain? What are these claustrophobic and isolating pods? And who asked for all those PLANTS?

How are we supposed to work on desks smaller than our laptops, ridiculously high tables with no chairs, and zero plugs in sight? Not to mention the vom-worthy colour scheme.

May you rest in peace Brotherton West, you'll be forever in our hearts.

Brotherton West, 1993-2019.

#notmybrothertonwest