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Where the books were written, set, sold, printed and buried: from the Globe to the graves, the bookshops to the presses.
This season's book talks, festivals and exhibitions are in What's On: Books & writers
The largest public collection of modern poetry in the world, free to join, up on the fifth floor of the Royal Festival Hall.
Libraries & archivesGo insideFree
Founded by the Arts Council in 1953 and opened by T. S. Eliot and Herbert Read, it moved to the Festival Hall in 1988 in a procession led by Seamus Heaney and has stayed: every book of poetry published in Britain since 1912, the little magazines and the pamphlets nobody else kept, recordings, a children's poetry corner, and desks by the river windows where poets have written their next collections. Membership is free to anyone, and the librarians will find you the poem you half remember.
| Monday | Closed |
|---|---|
| Tuesday | 12:00 – 18:00 |
| Wednesday | 12:00 – 20:00 |
| Thursday | 12:00 – 20:00 |
| Friday | 12:00 – 20:00 |
| Saturday | 12:00 – 20:00 |
| Sunday | 12:00 – 20:00 |
Hours from the page that lists them, checked 5 September 2026.
Submit a correction for this listing.
Data is compiled from public sources including OpenStreetMap, under the ODbL. Hours change often, so check before making a journey.