British Library, National research library in St Pancras, United Kingdom
The British Library contains more than 170 million items including books, manuscripts, newspapers, maps, sound recordings, patents, and digital materials from all periods.
The library opened its doors in 1973 as an independent institution, combining collections from the British Museum Library and other national institutions.
The reading rooms provide spaces for researchers and students to examine materials ranging from medieval manuscripts to modern scientific publications.
Visitors need to register for a reader pass with valid identification to access the collections, and some materials require advance reservation.
The library receives copies of every publication produced in the United Kingdom and Ireland through legal deposit legislation.
Location: London Borough of Camden
Inception: July 1, 1973
Address: 96 Euston Road NW1 2DB
Phone: +443303331144
Email: Customer-Services@bl.uk
Website: https://bl.uk
GPS coordinates: 51.52944,-0.12694
Latest update: May 27, 2025 20:13
European historic libraries and bookshops preserve written heritage accumulated over centuries. From Livraria Bertrand in Lisbon, founded in 1732 and still operating at the same location, to the Bodleian Library in Oxford, which has housed over 13 million works since 1602, these sites reflect the evolution and dissemination of books. Livraria Lello in Porto is notable for its curved wooden staircase and neo-Gothic woodwork from 1906, while Dominicanen Bookshop in Maastricht is housed in a converted 13th-century church. These spaces are distinguished by their architecture, from baroque to neo-Gothic, and by their function preserved across centuries. The Celsus Library in Izmir, built in 135 AD, used double walls to protect its 12,000 parchments from humidity. Hatchards in London has been operating since 1797 over five floors in Piccadilly, whereas Shakespeare and Company in Paris has maintained its English-language tradition since 1951 opposite Notre-Dame. These institutions offer visitors the chance to explore places where the history of the book is engraved in stone and wood.
Cotton library
0 m
St Pancras New Church
329 m
British Library Sound Archive
55 m
Newton
63 m
Elizabeth Garrett Anderson and Obstetric Hospital
241 m
Shaw Theatre
105 m
Harley Manuscripts
96 m
British Library Philatelic Collections
1 m
Camden Town Hall
112 m
Cartwright Gardens
294 m
Woburn Walk
288 m
The Place
277 m
British Library Exhibition Space
84 m
Statue of William Shakespeare
48 m
British Medical Association War Memorial
386 m
Euston Fire Station
329 m
Rising Sun
186 m
Bust of Anne Frank
19 m
Statue of John Cartwright
289 m
National Westminster Bank Hall Of Residence (27-43), Jenkins Hotel (44 And 45) And Railings
262 m
K6 Telephone Kiosk Outside St Pancras Station
83 m
Levita House Including Attached Shops And Somers Town Coffee House Levita House, Attached Shops, Screen And Somers Town Coffee House
158 m
Number 12 And Attached Railings
201 m
The Royal George
349 m
Two lamp posts
352 m
2-16, Dukes Road
326 m
4-18 And 4a-18a, Woburn Walk
338 m
1-9 And 9a, Woburn Walk
336 mReviews
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