Henry Tate

Better known for the gallery that bears his name, the sugar refiner Henry Tate also paid for public libraries in south London in the 1890s, including at Brixton, Streatham, South Lambeth and Balham, once the local parishes had adopted the Public Libraries Acts that let them levy rates for upkeep. Several Tate libraries are still open as council branches, more than a century later, which is the test of a gift that came with a funding plan.