British Library Treasures

The lowdown

The British Library holds a copy of almost everything ever published in Britain, but the bit you must not miss is small, free and tucked to one side. The Sir John Ritblat Treasures gallery is a single darkened room, and the things in it are staggering.

In a few quiet cases you can stand in front of an original Magna Carta from 1215, Shakespeare's First Folio, Leonardo da Vinci's mirror-written notebooks, handwritten scores by Handel and Mozart, and Beatles lyrics scribbled on the backs of envelopes and birthday cards. There is no ticket and no fuss, just some of the most important objects in human history a few inches away.

The library building itself is worth the trip too, with a soaring tower of the King's old leather books at its heart and one of the nicest free places to sit and work in London.