Degas

Has anyone been here? It's free and I thought it might cool to pop in a see the Gutenburg Bible, da Vinci's notebook and the Magna Carta.

Is it close enough to combine with a visit to the British Museum? Anything else close by?

TuckH

Yes, I've been there and I can rave about the architecture - and I'm an architect. It's a beautiful contemporary building! By all means, go there.

When I've posted here on London queries (what to see, etc), I have always suggested this as a site to visit.

The elegant and historic Bloomsbury quarter is nearby. Somewhat further distant, closer to The City, is the fabulous (architecturally speaking) Barbican Centre, a huge housing and cultural arts complex that is well worth the visit. The scale of the buildings and spaces is just right.

janis

I end up at the British Library about every 3rd or 4th trip to London. Besides the biggies - documents and books that will take your breath away - there are frequent special exhibits. And being such a short walk from Kings Cross, St Pancras and Euston stations makes it really convenient to squeeze in a visit.

Cuttle

The British Library is an easy walk -- perhaps 15 minutes -- from the British Museum. My favorite route is across Russell Square, then a jog over to walk the length of Marchmont and on up through Cartwright Gardens. A lively little neighborhood with fun pubs and cafes, including a pretty good secondhand bookshop.

The BL always has an interesting major exhibit -- the current one, which runs througyh Sept. 23, is on the Lindisfarne Gospels. (Learn about it here: http://www.bl.uk/whatson/exhibitions...arne/home.html) More or less permanent exhibits include everything from Beatles lyrics to Elizabethan manuscripts. The Library's shop is also fun, and great for finding little one-of-a-kind gifts.

And, of course, you can also do a little research of your own, if your interests incline that way. The Library's website (http://www.bl.ul) can tell you how to apply for a Reader's Card.

SusanP

OK, I have a question about this. I have a Streetwise London map, and I can find the British Library that you're talking about here. However, the map also shows the British Museum/British Library, all on one building (as in the British Museum just south of Russell Square). So what is in that British Library? Just wondering...Thanks!

janis

The restored reading room is in the center of the British Museum. The British Library moved to its new location near St Pancras just a few years ago.

Degas

Thanks for all the great feedback.

As it stands now, I plan to visit the British Library first and then design a walk down through Bloomsbury to the British Museum. I know you can spend lots more time in each, but my thought was to devote a long afternoon (5 hours) to do all this. Doing it on a day the British Museum is open late will allow me to extend my visit, if something really grabbed my interest.

Seems that would give me a good taste of the highlights of all three and the most efficient use of limited time.

Devotees are sure to pound me, but I fully expect to come back on future trips.

Anonymous

Do check on th opening hours for the various specific galleries of hte Brit, some aer not open evenings.

Degas

anonymous, thanks - that's a good point. Expect most of us have gotten burned by operating hours at one time or another. I've got the website bookmarked.

ChatNoir

Save some time for the computers in the "Turning the Pages" Room.

jsmith

The British Library has original manuscripts of the Beatles, Handel and Jane Austen, who wrote with the tiniest handwriting I have ever seen.

For another slice of London, turn left on Euston Road to King's Cross Station and watch for the rent boys and ladies in action. If you continue a little way down King's Cross Road you may even get lucky and get an offer from a curb crawler.

Degas

jsmith, thanks for the warning. I'd just as soon avoid that unique form of local entertainment.

jsmith

Degas, I don't know why you consider my suggestion to visit King's Cross a warning. Visitors to this board are always desirous of meeting the "locals" and I gave a suggestion of how. Be daring.

Degas

jsmith, those colorful "locals" are selling something of very poor quality, in drab surroundings, for wildly high prices and which may have very adverse and lasting after-effects. Risk-Reward ratio is too lopsided. Drinking beer and wine is my preferred vice.

johnw

Regarding problems with the "locals" - I can remember walking from the station entrance to the Wendy's fast food place (sadly no longer there i think) - a distance of about 50 yards - and getting three offers of that nature on the way. However that was about 6 years ago and the area seems to have been cleaned up a lot since then, although it still has a slightly rundown feel to it that would probably put me off walking around there at night if I was a tourist.

As far as the British Library goes, I don't think anyone has made it clear that for most areas of the Library you need to register as a researcher and get a Readers Card before you can access them. However you don't have to do this to get into the gallery where the Magna Carta and the Gutenberg Bible and many other exhibits are. I had some trouble actually finding the public galleries though - from what I remember they are on the left hand side as you walk into the building.

The library is well worth a visit - when I went there they had some of Shakespeare's original manuscripts on display - though I think this was a temporary exhibit.

jenstu13

Yes, the library is definately worth a visit. It is open late on Tuesdays. When we visited this summer the a/c in the library was much appreciated also.

ben_haines_london

They are building a new terminus for Eurostar, and to do that have closed off great areas beside Kings Cross station. So the ladies of the night have gone, but I do not know where to.

[email protected]

jsmith

Ben, you'll have to put some air in the tyres (English spelling) and do some exploring to solve the mystery - or start a new thread.