British Library Tourist Guide - London

The British Library is one of the greatest libraries in the world, and is the national library of the United Kingdom. This is a library in which a copy of every publication produced in the UK and Ireland is kept, and every year three million new items are added to the collection. Amongst the items that are kept at the British Library are newspapers, books, manuscripts, patents, magazines, drawings, and more - and there are over one hundred and fifty million items spanning most languages.

The British Library has space onsite for over twelve hundred readers, and you will find fascinating exhibitions to explore at this site. You will find a number of treasures amongst the exhibitions at the British Library and this includes the Lindisfarne Gospels, the Magna Carta, the first edition of The Times from 1788, Leonardo da Vinci's notebook, the recording of Nelson Mandela's trial speech, and the Beatles Manuscripts.

The British Library has two buildings, one at St Pancras and one at Boston Spa. The St Pancras building was the largest public building to be constructed in the UK in the twentieth century. The British Library has many holdings, and this includes material that dates back to 300BC, manuscripts from prolific writers such as Jane Austen, nearly fifty million patents, millions of maps, and much more. As well as the galleries and the reading rooms, you can also explore the British Library Shop. There is also a restaurant onsite where you can enjoy breakfast or lunch during your visit to the British Library.