British Library Treasures
magna carta and beatles lyrics, one room
One free room next to King's Cross holding Magna Carta, Shakespeare's First Folio, Leonardo's notebooks and Beatles lyrics scrawled on the back of a letter.
Free to visit · St Pancras · King's Cross St Pancras · NW1 2DB
Opening: Mon–Sat · Treasures gallery from 10am · check times
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.
Getting there: Right next to King's Cross St Pancras, a couple of minutes from the station on Euston Road.
Best time to go: A weekday, and allow more time than you think. It is one quiet darkened room but you will not want to leave it.
Insider tip: Look for the Beatles cases near the music manuscripts. Seeing the actual scrap of paper where Lennon or McCartney first scribbled a song everyone knows, a few feet from Magna Carta and Da Vinci, is a genuinely strange and brilliant free thing.
Official site: https://www.bl.uk
Free things to do in London · London Free Guide