Whether you’re a bookworm or you just love beautiful buildings, there’s something special about libraries. The UK is home to plenty of these peaceful, book-lined sanctuaries, filled with cosy nooks for reading to your heart’s content and escaping the bustle of the outside world. These are our favourites.
John Rylands Library, Manchester
Opened to the public on Deansgate in 1900, this stunning library was founded by Enriqueta Rylands in memory of her late husband, the entrepreneur and philanthropist John Rylands. It became part of Manchester University in 1972, and is home to an array of rare books including the Gutenberg Bible and all four of Shakespeare’s Folios. The building itself is one of “neo-Gothic splendour”, said Countryfile, and the main reading room is dotted with tranquil “reading alcoves” and colourful stained glass windows.
The Bodleian, Oxford
“In terms of English libraries, this is the magnum opus,” said The Sunday Times. Founded in 1602 by diplomat and scholar Thomas Bodley, it’s one of the country’s oldest libraries and “feels like the library at Hogwarts: think domed reading rooms, gothic vaulting, stained glass and wooden shelves stuffed with books from floor to ceiling”. Consider booking a guided tour for access to the “normally off-limits” 15th-century Duke Humfrey’s Library and the Chancellor’s Court, “where students were tried for misdeeds”.
The Leeds Library
This historic spot has a “special claim to fame: it’s the oldest surviving lending library in the UK”, said The Sunday Times. Founded in 1768 by a “forward-thinking society of northern notables”, it’s a members-only library, but you can book to visit on Thursday evenings between 5 and 7pm. “Grade II listed and set around a glass-roofed atrium, framed by wooden balustrades and shelves, it’s a bookworm’s delight.”
National Poetry Library, London
Located on the fifth floor of the Royal Festival Hall, overlooking the Thames in London’s Southbank Centre, “you’ll find a warm yellow glow radiating from the doors of the National Poetry Library”, said Condé Nast Traveller. Founded by the Arts Council and opened in 1953 by TS Eliot and Herbert Read, the “cosy” space is home to more than 200,000 books, magazines and audio visual materials. Drop by to listen as poets read their work “in front of the huge, rainbow-coloured archives”, and take children to visit the Little Library, where they can “pore over picture books, play games and solve puzzles”.
Canada Water Library, London
Sitting next to the Canada Water basin, this striking library “resembles a concrete ship that’s run aground”, said Condé Nast Traveller. Designed by CZWG Architects, the aluminium-clad building was opened by Southwark Council in 2011, and won several prizes including a RIBA award. Now, it’s a community hub hosting reading clubs, writing groups and author events. “With checked carpets, sleek wood interiors and suspended giant orb lights, it’s a wonderful space to while away the day.”
Gladstone’s Library, Flintshire
This “literary oasis” in North Wales, founded by former prime minister William Gladstone in 1889, is the UK’s only residential library, said the BBC. Home to 26 bedrooms “just steps from the books”, it’s the perfect spot for “anyone who has ever dreamed of spending a cosy holiday reading, writing or focusing in silence”. The “imposing russet stone building” is home to a “150,000-tome-strong collection”, a handful of reading rooms, a wood-panelled dining room with “views over the manicured gardens”, and a “cosy study” with comfy chairs to “flop into” with a book.
From architectural delights to a ‘literary oasis’, these are some of the best libraries around the country
