British Library

Lonely Planet review

The British Library moved to these spanking-new premises between King's Cross and Euston Stations in 1998. Colin St John Wilson's exterior of straight lines of red brick, which Prince Charles reckoned was akin to a 'secret-police building', is certainly not to all tastes. But even people who don't like the building from the outside can't fault the spectacularly cool and spacious interior.

Most of the complex is devoted to storage and scholarly research, but there are also several public displays including the John Ritblat Gallery: Treasures of the British Library, which spans almost three millennia and every continent. Among the most important documents here are the Magna Carta (1215); the Codex Sinaiticus, the first complete text of the New Testament, written in Greek in the 4th century; a Gutenberg Bible (1455), the first Western book printed using movable type; Shakespeare's First Folio (1623); manuscripts by some of Britain's best-known authors (eg Lewis Carroll, Jane Austen, George Eliot and Thomas Hardy); and even some of the Beatles' earliest hand-written lyrics.

Access to the reading rooms is by reader's pass only. See the website for details of how to apply for one and the conditions that need to be met.

There are guided tours (adult/child £8 / £7 ) at 15:00 Monday, Wednesday and Friday and at 10:30 and 15:00 Saturday of the library's public areas, and another that includes a visit to one of the reading rooms at 11:30 and 15:00 Sunday. Call the main number to make a booking.