The British Library

Been coming here for years. I find it such a good place to study, work, or just spend time with friends. It's nice to have a place you can spend hours in for free in Central London, you don't need a library card to get in! They also have cool exhibitions and some are free.
Love their outside terrace!!

I was attending a 30 year celebration of the People Show archive at the British library. It was being held in the Knowledge theatre which is just about accessible for a wheelchair user. There must be a lift somewhere once you're in the lobby that takes you up to the bar area then upwards to the theatre itself. I was late, in a hurry so didn't take time to find it. I'm ambulant disabled with a replacement hip that prefers a lift instead of the forty (?)stairs to the bar and the twenty or so after that. Of course there are also steps within the auditorium itself too. The event was two hours and only 20 minutes of it had an interactive element. While very interesting l couldn't help feel l would have been happier listening to it as a podcast or attending it as a webinar. Of course it wasn't pitched at a newcomer like me who is in show 142. It was an opportunity for people show past and present of long standing acquaintance to catch up with each other. I found the carpet pattern in the bar area distractingly busy. I said my goodbyes and left. Price was a little steep l think at £8. Why does a student get a 50% discount and a pensioner a mere 20%. Kind of ageist.

However my viewpoint of a single event shouldn't deter you from visiting this excellent venue tucked away behind an unprepossessing facade near Kings cross station. There is a cafe in the piazza so l imagine it's a good meeting place before entering the library. The Alan Turing institute also has a London HQ at the top of a small escalator at the back of the building.

Admission into building is free
Reader's card is required for access into libraries and reading rooms.
There is also a free exhibition of really interesting history materials.

It's a large building so you'll want to visit over and over again!

I visited here last week. Very nice and very modern library. I would of liked to visit the little museum there but unfortunately I wasn't allowed in as I had a water bottle. They do not allow food and drink. That annoyed me!

You are not allowed in the actual libraries without a pass which I found silly. I was looking forward to look around in there.

The restaurants there are a quite expensive! It was around £4 something for a sandwich which was ridiculous!

Otherwise, nice place to look around! Lots of information about the library and other things! Lots of seating spots to study too!

They have a little spot (outside the toilets) where you can refill your water bottle but the water didn't taste very nice in my opinion. That's tap water for ya!

I will still rate this place a five star in spite of my little criticisms! :P There you go!

Went on a Sunday. The place was open and busy with what appeared to be hundreds of people working away on their laptops. Some areas were closed. Some lovely collections on display. A small gift shop and cafe. Nice ambience for some quiet time.

The British Museum opened in 1997 and was one of the largest construction projects ever at the time. It’s right next to St Pancras and is built from exactly the same bricks used on the station.

There’s a huge outdoor space with cafes which is ideal for grabbing a quiet spot to sit and read in the summer. Inside there are lots of areas to wander around and perch with a coffee and read. You will need a (free) library card to get into the main reading rooms, and while I haven’t got one yet I intend to!

There are also a few areas where you can learn about the history of the building and a book shop with some carefully curated reads to purchase.

It’s well worth a trip if you are interested in 20th century architecture, need to escape the rain, need a place to do some quiet work, or, well, find a book.

A wonderful place to explore when visiting London! Some of the exhibits require a nominal ticket fee to view, but the Beethoven gallery was fantastic with actual pages of his manuscripts and compositions. This is a place I could easily return to many times over and never get bored.

Just come here for their King's Library Tower and Treasure Exhibitions. Easy and quick. No burden.
After you visit the famous Harry Potter store in King Cross Station. You can just come and pay a visit.