With over 150 million items, a copy of every publication produced in the UK and Ireland, artwork by artists such as Antony Gormley and Eduardo Paolozzi , and a host of historically momentous works - including the Magna Carta, the Gutenberg Bible , Shakespeare's First Folio and the Lindisfarne Gospels - a guided tour around the British Library is the best way to take it all in. This is, after all, the largest public building constructed in the United Kingdom in the 20th century and, as such, warrants a guided tour around its cavernous spaces. The library's guides really know their stuff and will open your eyes to this gargantuan repository. Of particular interest is the Diamond Sutra, the world's earliest dated printed book, and the only surviving copy of Beowulf . The King's Library - a three-storey glass tower - forms the centre-piece of the building both architecturally and in terms of its historic acquisitions. With 65,000 printed volumes, The King's Library refers to King George III, whose personal collection is on display here. Some of the tours include access to the reading rooms which is usually limited to those with passes. The library also has a lot to offer the casual visitor - exhibition galleries (mostly free) special exhibitions, events, films, musical performances and poetry readings. While you can explore for free, paying for a tour is more than worth it if you only have a few hours to take everything in.
(Image: One of the few tree artwork outside the main entrance)
The Big Draw
Various venues across London
1st - 31st October 2010
The Big Draw takes place nationwide throughout the month of October and many of London's... More
Henry VIII: Man and Monarch
British Library, NW1 2DB
26th April 2009 - 6th September 2009
2009 marks the 500th anniversary of King Henry VIII's accession to the throne of... More
The Big Draw
Wellcome Collection & various venues, NW1 2BE
1st - 31st October 2009
Celebrating its tenth anniversary, this splendid month-long nationwide event has simply one objective... More
Henry VIII: Dressed To Kill
Tower Of London, EC3N 4AB
3rd April 2009 - 17th January 2010
With 2009 marking the 500th anniversary of King Henry VIII's coronation... More
British Library
96 Euston Road, NW1 2DB
With over 150 million items, a copy of every publication produced in the UK and Ireland, artwork by artists such... More
The Foundling Museum is one of London's real hidden treasures. Originally established in 1739 as a hospital which looked after abandoned children, the museum now ... More
The John Ritblat Gallery contains a permanent display of over 200 of the British Library's greatest treasures. It includes documents which made and recorded history, ... More
Completed in 1822, St Pancras Church was the most expensive church to be constructed since St Paul's was rebuilt after the Great Fire. This Greek ... More
This budget hotel, centrally located just two minutes from King’s Cross Tube and train station, will suit travellers looking for affordable but clean accommodation. The ... More
Convenient, comfortable and cheerful this Kings Cross hotel is a fantastic budget option. After a busy day in the city, it’s a wonderfully welcoming ...More
Spring Loaded, The Place's annual festival of contemporary dance, bounces back to London this April, showcasing new talent in the dance world. Eddie Ladd kicks ...More
White Mischief, that neo-Victorian moveable feast of costume, dance, music and spectacle, celebrates its third birthday with a night of performance, pageantry and wild abandon ...More
Alara Wholefoods Health shop on Marchmont Street has been recommended by one of our readers, poet Kim Morrissey, who took the trouble to write in ... More
Upper Concourse,
St Pancras International,Euston Road,
NW1Map
2 minutes walk from British Library
Opposite the champagne bar on the upper concourse of St Pancras International train station is the Grand Restaurant and Oyster Bar, stylishly modelled by Martin ... More
Stepping off the Eurostar amid the bustle of the Gare du Nord, weary travellers need only stumble a few steps before falling upon boulevards stuffed ... More
London's specialist venue for contemporary dance, The Place plays a role in every aspect of this fast-growing art form. The London Contemporary Dance School offers ...More
Among the best regarded art schools in the world. The Slade is a fairly traditional school with an insistence on certain techniques within each undergraduate ... More
Independent 1950s-themed bowling alley and bar.
This concept bar is an inspired idea: eight lanes of bowling, in a stylish venue, with a classy diner ... More
Swimming lessons for children and aquaphobic adults. This is one of the more popular swimming schools in London, and one of the most long-running, with ...More
An unexpected surprise, located in a King’s Cross backstreet you never knew existed, yet still only a five-minute walk from the tube, this wine-bar-cum-restaurant offers ... More
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With over 150 million items, a copy of every publication produced in the UK and Ireland, artwork by artists such as 
