A woman wearing a dark top and hair in a bob looks at a display case of open books

Treasures of the British Library

British Library, London

Explore our free exhibition of some of the most inspiring items from our collection.

Open every day

About Treasures of the British Library

Explore some of the world's most exciting, beautiful and significant books, maps and manuscripts in our permanent exhibition. 

There are fewer items in the gallery at the moment due to ongoing maintenance. You can still discover works by Andrea Levy, Monty Python and Shakespeare, and see the Lindisfarne Gospels and Magna Carta. 

Visit for free – no booking required, or dive deeper on a tour.

More information

Opening times

Open during normal opening hours.

You might also like

  1. Artwork for Secret Maps exhibition. Navy background with lots of different maps from history, and images of a flight tracker, an Enigma Machine, Minecraft’s Uncensored Library, D-Day, and a war room. Some of these are obscured by shadows or pixellation.
    British Library, London

    Secret Maps

    Who shapes your world? Who decides what you see? What hides behind grid lines?

    More info
  2. A collage on a green background. It shows a tree with birds and frogs around the tree, two planets ans stars are in top corners of the image. A cat in a spaceship travels toward the the left hand planet
    British Library, LondonFree

    Story Explorers: A journey through imaginary worlds

    Take a free family trip through our collection and discover the stories behind objects which take you to wondrous places. Designed for children 2 – 7.

    More info
  3. Two children outside of a gingerbread house in a dark forest.
    Coming soon

    Fairy Tales

    A family adventure through magical worlds and enchanted stories.

    More info
  4. A collage on a blue background. It shows a cat in a spaceship and a star against an orange planet-shaped background. There are a frog and some leaves against a green planet-shaped background. And, a fish and some coral against a blue planet-shaped background. There are also a bird and a rocket!
    Coming soonFree

    Story Explorers in Leeds

    Our Story Explorers exhibition is launching off to Leeds! Play your way around this family exhibition co-produced with Leeds Libraries.

    More info
  5. Agatha Christie in old age, wearing a red dress, sat in an armchair. Her eyes are closed. Beside her is a table packed with an assortment of objects.
    Coming soon

    Agatha Christie 

    A major exhibition on the woman behind the books.  

    More info
  6. A spot-lit large globe set into a wooden frame standing on a low pedestal in an exhibition gallery

    Treasures Tour

    Introduction to the Treasures of the British Library
    More info