The Most Beautiful Libraries in UK

The dual attack of our increasingly digital lives and the policies of austerity has been mostly bad news for libraries, with many closing each year. If nothing else, this should make us thankful for the beautiful ones that remain in the UK (which happens to be the home of some of the most stunning in the world). Discover of the best with our guide to beautiful public and university libraries across the country. Let’s exploce The Most Beautiful Libraries in UK below.

The Most Beautiful Libraries in UK

The Codrington Library, Oxford

Aside from Oxford’s Bodleian libraries, each Oxford college has its own library. Perhaps the most impressive of these is owned by All Souls College. Completed in 1851, the Codrington Library truly is a vision of monochrome perfection, as bright white marble statues meet rows of black bookcases.
This simplicity saves it from being overly grandiose (which is not to say it is not staggeringly grand) and protects it from being kitschy a fate not all similar libraries escape from. Sadly not open to the public, the Codrington Library is open to members of Oxford University by application, and to researchers by appointment.

Glasgow School of Art Library, Glasgow

A devastating fire ran through the library of the Glasgow School of Art in 2015. Although the Grade I listed building was mostly undamaged, its contents were almost completely gutted by the flames. This is a great shame, for the library represented one of the most singular visions in Art Nouveau design.
Charles Rennie Mackintosh designed everything from the furniture to light fittings, creating an atmosphere and artistic triumph that has inspired some of Britain’s most successful artists, as alumni of the school.

The Bodleian, Oxford

Oxford University’s Bodleian is one of Britain’s six legal deposit libraries (another features later in the list), meaning it is legally allowed to request a copy of every book published in the United Kingdom. These are housed in one of the Bodleian’s five main buildings, from which it is incredibly difficult to choose a true favourite.
Each has its charm, from the arresting arches of the 15th century Divinity School building to the round English Palladian building of the Radcliffe Camera, to the carefully austere New Bodleian built during World War II. Membership is required for admission to the Bodleian, with tours available for the general public.

Chained Library Hereford Cathedral

Giving off serious Hogwarts vibes, Hereford Cathedral’s chained library is the largest of its kind in the world. During the medieval and early modern period, books were seen as valuable commodities, and many European libraries would chain them to the shelves for security.
Dating from 1611, Hereford’s chained library contains 1,500 books, which include 229 medieval manuscripts. One of its most valuable treasures is the Hereford Gospels, an 8th-century illuminated manuscript.

Library of Birmingham

Geometric circles adorn the façade of this recently renovated public library. Drawing upon the area’s surrounding hilly landscapes, the library’s 31,000 square metres contain landscaped terraces, a light filled atrium, as well as an outdoor amphitheatre.
Spread over 10 floors, the library contains a Shakespeare Memorial Room and a children’s library, alongside drawings and documents from the Industrial Revolution.

Gladstone’s Library, wales

Not every library has its own B&B, but Gladstone’s Library is no ordinary institution. A stone’s throw away from the Snowdonia mountains, it is a great destination for bibliophiles in search of relaxation and new reading material.
Founded by the Victorian politician William Gladstone, who wanted to make his collection available to all, the library contains more than 150,000 volumes of theology and history, as well as titles on philosophy, art and classics. This is once of The Most Beautiful Libraries in UK.

The British Library, London

Spanning more than 746km of shelving, the world’s largest national library features more than 170 million items, from 3,000 year old Chinese oracle bones to Arabic manuscripts. Book lovers should head to The Sir John Ritblat Treasures gallery to see some of the collection’s most remarkable items, which include the Magna Carta, the Beowulf manuscript, Jane Austen’s writing desk and Leonardo’s drawings.

Peckham Library, London

A controversial choice, but fans of modern architecture will find much to love at this library in Peckham, South London. Even die hard classicists cannot help but be astounded at how the building remains standing, with the top heavy structure only supported by a series of spindly pillars.
A winner of the prestigious Stirling Prize for innovative architecture, its glass and metal design is a million miles away from the staid and stuffy libraries people remember unsoundly from their childhoods, and it is this openness that leads half a million people through its doors every year.