London's #1 Unseen sight
 

We just returned from London (and other UK places). I've been a few times, and I've got to say, the document room of the British Library is the greatest secret in London. The Tower of London being my favorite, but there, they tell you the story of Lady Jane Grey. Go to the BL, and see the ACTUAL diary that she kept. How about the ORIGINAL Magna Carta? Not enough? The ORIGINAL Alice in Wonderland, in Lewis Carroll's own hand? Portions of DaVinci's notebook. ACTUAL scraps of paper, backs of menus, etc, with the lyrics to Beatle's tunes, as originally penned by John and Paul (in someone's basement, as noted on one of the tunes). All the while you're marveling at such, put on the headphones and listen to the accompanying tune. I had tears.

I don't know if I've even seen it mentioned on this thread, but please go. The afternoon we went last week, there were about 6 people in the Riblatt Gallery (the document room). There, I've spilt the beans. It's 200 yards from King's Cross station.

I agree. As much as I loved the Poet's Corner and Bath and Big Ben and everything else I saw in England, the Treasures Room of the British Library had me mouth-agape, wandering around in a fog the whole time. I was a literature major, so the documents hold a special allure. My wife, who was not a literature major, liked it but wasn't blown away as I was.

Some other mentions: a copy of Shakespeare's First Folio, one of the earliest Canterbury Tales folios, a Gutenburg Bible, and some of the earliest fragments of the New Testament anywhere.

Unbelievable.

Do go. There are not words to describe how wonderful this exibit is. Even if you don't think you are into this sort of thing, you will find it an hour, or two or three very well spent!!!

The illuminated manuscripts !

ajs - always looking for neat things to do in London. Thank you - missed this though have walked by the striking new building en route to Kings X many times.

I've been rabbitting on about the BL on this board for at least two years. And don't just look at the permanent exhibition: the building itself is the closest thing to a beautiful piece of architecture there's been built here for decades, and you can see an awful lot of the interior even without a reader's pass. The temporary exhibitions are often stunning (the Armenia and the Silk Road ones were especially so) - though for those of us on the right side of 40, the captions are often in preposterously small type AND dimly lit, so remember to take your varifocals).

While in the area, try to get inside the St Pancras hotel, which still occasionally has tours. Nothing this side of the Moldavia Royal Palace (yes, there really is such a thing, it's in Iasi and it looks astonishingly like St Pancras) quite matches it.

Agreed! I was especially impressed with Lady Jane Grey's prayer book. It was very touching to think she held it in her hands just before she was executed. And the Beatles display--oh! to listen to their music as you read the lyrics in the case, and realize they're in the same room as Shakespeare, the Bible, and the Magna Carta. Well done, boys.

Isn't there a lease signed by Shakespeare there as well? Too cool.

I agree, this is a great place to spend an afternoon.

One of my favorite posters is for an exhibition celebrating the 50th anniversary, 1947-1997, of the Folio Society at the British Library when it was still in the British Museum.

I first saw the documents extolled in the previous posts when they were housed there. I still marvel at the tiny handwritten manuscripts by Jane Austen. Seeing the same documents housed in their new surroundings was one of my priorities and we were able to visit the week before it was formally opened by Queen Elizabeth in June of 1998.

I have visions of a thousand years in the future when we all stand admiring a flash drive and commenting how it contains all the great works of the 21st century. Of course, we can't access it because radiation, magnetism and other pollutants of the intervening years have destroyed the information.

Yes, indeed,the British Library has so much to offer: Handel, Mozart, Bach ,and Purcell music manuscripts; Mercator's Atlas of Europe; Charlotte Bronte, Dickens and Chaucer original manuscripts...the list goes on and on.
I can wander around in the Library for hours...in awe.
I first saw the " Turning the Pages" room there a couple of years ago. It was such a delight to be able to examine , in detail, such masterpieces as the Sherburne Missal , the Diamond Sutra, and Blackwell's Herbal.

The lyrics to 'In My Life' are in the Beatles display, and seemed so apt:

"There are places I remember,
All my life, though some have changed.
Some forever, none for better."

I forgot to mention; right now, the BL has a tremendous temporary exhibit on Hans Christian Andersen. It's the 200th anniversary of his birthday. In Edinburgh, in the Princes Street gardens, they have a clock made completely of flowers (even the hands) commemorating the event as well. Wish I could post my pictures of it. Amazing. You just don't see that kind of effort to honor someone like that here in the States.

Agree that these are incredible treasures that are ignored by most visitors to London.

Even when they were housed right in the BM you would see tons of people staring at the Rosetta Stone (and some of the explanations people were giving each other about what it was were really interesting) but completely ignoring the entire library section.

We went the first time with another american couple we had met - and when we said we wanted to look at the magna carta they said - what's that? (They could only understand when we explained the whole thing in terms of Robin Hood - I guess Hollywood is good for something).

I'm a fan as well. However, judging by the number of responses in one day to the original post, I doubt that it is 'the greatest secret in London'! The evidence seems to be that quite a few folk know of it, have visited it, and like it.

adeben-

Although there are many discerning travelers here, the fact remains that the two times I have been there, on warm summer afternoons, the place is fairly deserted. Compare that to the hordes of people following along like a great herd of sheep behind a Yeoman Warder at the Tower of London. So in this case,
'secret' = tremendously interesting, with no crowd. Have you seen the line at the London Eye lately? (Nice, but in my book, not even close to the BL)

The manuscript room was much more frequently visited when it was part of the British Museum, where it was when I first visited in 1992, and I visited the room annually until it moved.

I think, ajs, that the fact that you visited on warm Summer afternoons may have impacted the traffic, since many prefer to spend the sunny days outside and visit museums on cloudy days (which are not so rare in London).

But its a great room and should be sought out.

The Turning Pages computer is too cool.

Great to flip through books and wind/unwind scrolls.

When I was there a couple of years ago, near the entrance was a place you could listen to #1 music hits. Heard some artists that didn't invade the USA.

And the cafe was a nice place for hot chocolate or tea on a cold winter's day.

Thanks for this information. I have not yet visited the British Library but this post certainly lets me know I am overdue to do so.

There are, obviously, many travelers who wouldn't bother.

I am reminded of the "New Yorker" cartoon depicting two would-be travelers speaking with a travel agent:

"We just want a vacation. We don't want to learn anything."

<And the cafe was a nice place for hot chocolate or tea on a cold winter's day.>

We had wine. <grin/>

thank you. I had heard of the Document Room, but didn't realize it held so much 'cool' stuff.
Added to my must do list.

Until you can afford a trip to London, consider the Huntington Library and Gardens in Pasadena, California. My favorites were Shakespeare's First Folio and the Gutenberg Bible but there was much more.

And if you're going to the Huntington don't miss the Norton Simon Museum.