other buildings of the 1730s in Bristol. It was probably designed by the stonemason and carver James Paty the Elder, the first in a succession of members of the Paty family prominent as builders of 18th century Bristol, although John Strahan has also been suggested as a possible architect. Another possibility that has been suggested is William Halfpenny. The imposing and disproportionately tall first storey of the Old Library was echoed in Halfpenny's designs a few years later for Clifton Court and Coopers' Hall, although this could have been imitation of Paty's design. It is believed that Paty did carve the building's ornamentation. Unfortunately, many of the decorative features have been lost over time and as a result of repairs. Decaying features such as a fine Bristol coat of arms on the pediment, figures of putti depicted reading books above the first floor windows, and much of the mouldings and other details, were removed in the 20th century instead of being restored. One of the putti may have survived; there is one on the wall of St Michael on the Mount Primary School on St Michael's Hill in Bristol, which may have come from the library. A west wing, projecting towards the street, was added in the late 18th century. The Old Library's reading room had contained antique furniture and fittings, including an ornate oak overmantel carved by Grinling Gibbons. These were moved to the Bristol Room of the new Central Library. Former collections A forerunner of the public library was the library of the Parish Church of St Leonards the vicars being the first Librarians. In 1613 the library's founding collection was the donation of Tobias Matthew, the Archbishop of York, who was born in Bristol. In 1906 it was transferred to the new Central Library, which also reacquired the Bristol Library Society's reference collection of 45,000 books. In the 19th century the library was the first in the country to establish a "Local Collection", containing local history books and maps. Since then the Central Library's Local Studies Service has gone on to gain "designated status" under the national Designation Scheme. The Old Library housed one of the first public displays of fossils in the country, obtained in 1779 from the bequest by the Bristolian geologist Alexander Catcott of his collections of books, fossils and minerals. Later transferred to the Bristol Museum, the fossils were destroyed in World War