Surrounded on both sides by 11 Reading Rooms, the Library’s centrepiece is the magnificent King’s Library tower… Nonetheless the British Library eventually opened in 1998, with Wilson being given a knighthood the same year, and building was awarded its Grade 1 listing in 2015. Although its modernist design by architect Colin St. John Wilson originally divided … The room was on a grand scale: it's 91m (300ft) long, 12m (41ft) high and 9m (30ft) … Additionally, seven later 20th century libraries have been listed at Grade II. It's a rather elegant way of discovering the view.’. Explore the architecture of this Grade 1 listed building.

Two particular architectural styles influenced the design of the Library: While earlier generations of architects had been preoccupied by strict classical symmetries, Wilson was inspired by a group of 19th-century thinkers who saw beauty in irregularity and asymmetry. Heritage Minister Tracey Crouch said: “The British Library divided opinion from the moment its design was revealed, but I am glad that expert advice now allows me to list it, ensuring that its iconic design is protected for future generations to enjoy.”. The way it has been listed celebrates its qualities, and points out just what does make it special. On the approach to the escalators, can you spot two empty plinths? Only those lucky enough to have a Reader’s Pass could enter past this point. See for example the use of natural materials in the Entrance Hall, and the building’s red bricks on the inside and out, which blend in seamlessly with the neighbouring St. Pancras Station and the Renaissance Hotel. Find out how the King’s Library presented the ultimate opportunity to architects to show off the treasures of the British Library. With a site near the British Museum first approved in 1964, and the existing St Pancras design given the go-ahead in the mid-70s, architects Wilson and Long had to battle against spiralling costs, government changes and funding cuts for over three decades until the building was complete. Two particular architectural styles influenced the design of the Library: Listen to what MJ Long had to say about lighting in the Entrance Hall. La BL est une institution récente par rapport aux autres bibliothèques nationales : elle a été fondée en 1973 par le British Library Act (1973).
To help you stay oriented, portholes throughout the building give you vantage points of your surroundings, allowing you to see where you’ve just come from and where you’re going next. Other buildings by the architect, Colin St John Wilson, include: Cambridge University Department of Architecture Extension 1958 Pallant Gallery, Chichester, West Sussex 2007 Queen Mary College Library, Mile End Rd, east London 1988, – national library of the United Kingdom – world’s largest library in terms of total number of items – over 150 million items – 14 million books – second only to the United States’ Library of Congress – legal deposit library, the BL receives copies of all books produced in the United Kingdom and Ireland – 4 levels of basement, 300km of shelves, – large sculptures by Eduardo Paolozzi (a bronze statue based on William Blake’s study of Isaac Newton) and Antony Gormley, Entry gate designed by Lida and David Kindersley: photo © AW, View from the east ; Entry port viewed from west: photos © AW, British Library Extension – Centre for Conservation, north London Date built: 2007 Design: Long & Kentish with Colin St John Wilson, Centre for Conservation: photos © Nick Weall, Location: 96 Euston Rd, London, NW1 2DB, England, UK, London Building Designs – chronological list, London Architecture Tours – tailored UK capital city walks by e-architect, Building photographs taken with Panasonic DMC-FX01 lumix camera; Leica lense: 2816×2112 pixels – original photos available upon request: info(at)e-architect.co.uk, British Library Boston Spa Masterplan Design: HOK, Architects British Library Masterplan, British Library – Holborn Reading Room, 25 Southampton Buildings, WC2 Date built: 1902 Design: Sir John Taylor, architect, Comments / photos for the British Library Architecture + Centre for Conservation page welcome, Royal Docks London Regeneration Proposals. Listing it at Grade I acknowledges its outstanding architectural and historic interest. Architects included Butterfield, Webb, Waterhouse and George Gilbert Scott, and Wilson referred to this group as ‘The English Free School’. Architectural style of the British Library. Not to mention a myriad of stamps, maps, manuscripts, newspapers and sound recordings which also make up our collection. “It joins a select group of other listed post-war public libraries on the National Heritage List for England.
Opening its doors to the public in November 1997 and receiving an official inauguration by HM Queen Elizabeth II the following June, the Library became the largest public building constructed in Britain in the last 100 years. Avant cette date, la bibliothèque nationale dépendait du British Museum, qui accueillait également la British National Bibliography (Bibliographie nationale britannique) et la National Sound Archive (Archives sonores nationales).

While our building is home to millions of books, in our stonework resides oysters, plants and snails – all millions of years old. Where to start with designing a building set to hold an almost unimaginably large number of books? They illustrate a wide range of architectural styles, and together represent the very best in public architecture.”, Source: http://historicengland.org.uk/news-and-features/news/british-library-listed-grade-1, Location: Euston Road, north of the city centre, – Scandinavian Modernism style, internal brick eg like Aalto – very spacious atrium – largest public building constructed in the United Kingdom in the 20th century – no other architecture project, since the building of St. Paul’s Cathedral, over 400 years ago, took so long to construct or was surrounded by so much controversy. As a result, you hopefully won’t feel too tiny in comparison with the building! Daylight pours in from the skylights and the windows set into the ceiling, and reflects off the floor. All this blurs the boundaries between the inside and outside. The British Library is arguably the most significant new public building of the later 20th century in England. Scroll through the image carousel above to find the clues. Between them, on the floor, are six circles, hinting that something has been removed. ‘When the sun comes out in the Entrance Hall’, he said, ‘the building sort of opens up like a flower, and when the sun goes out, it closes again’. – architect taught architecture in Cambridge, England – very controversial, dragged on for years and over budget – in the middle of the building is a six-storey glass tower containing the King’s Library, with 65,000 printed volumes collected by King George III and given to the nation – looks like a ship sailing into London They building was built using strong aluminium extrusion. In the original design, the majority of the building was accessible only to researchers. Wilson was a British modernist architect, strongly influenced by Scandinavian design. As the largest public building constructed in 20th-century Britain, architects Sir Colin St. John Wilson, MJ Long and their teams wanted visitors to feel immediately invited as they walked in, rather than taken aback by its sheer scale. His heroes were Finnish architect Alvar Aalto and Swedish architect Gunnar Asplund, and if you look at some of their buildings, you may notice similarities with the British Library. There have also been many attempts to 'play down' the significance and …

With its five public floors sweeping upwards like a wave, the architecture is both immense and extraordinary. These give a sense of scale to this vast space so that your line of vision can pass gradually from these objects, before taking in the rest of the hall. These recordings go back over 100 years and cover many facets of life in Britain. With its layered design, reminiscent of Eastern temple architecture, our roof has been compared to that of the Forbidden City palace complex in Beijing. Please consider the environment before printing, All text is © British Library and is available under Creative Commons Attribution Licence except where otherwise stated, The Tiger Who Came to Tea by Judith Kerr: sketches and original artwork, Sean's Red Bike by Petronella Breinburg, illustrated by Errol Lloyd, Unfinished Business: The Fight for Women's Rights, The fight for women’s rights is unfinished business, Get 3 for 2 on all British Library Fiction, Why you need to protect your intellectual property, Oral histories of architecture and landscape design, Stone, bricks and fossils of the British Library, Galleries, Reading Rooms, Shop and Catering Opening Times Vary, the building’s irregular shape (look at it from the Piazza), which echoes George Gilbert Scott’s St. Pancras Renaissance Hotel next door, the clocktower (paying homage to WM Dudok's town hall in Hilversum, Netherlands), which is not merely decorative but also a ventilation shaft, serving to air the five levels of basement.

Look at the handrails inside the lifts, on doors and around the Library. King’s Library architecture … Learn more about the history of the British Library. To disguise the building’s true size, the ceiling gradually rises in small increments as you enter in order to ease you inside gently and give you a chance to acclimatise yourself. Can you spot the inspiration he took from his days at sea around the building? Roger Bowdler, Director of Listing at Historic England, said: “The British Library (BL) is one of England’s finest modern public buildings. Please consider the environment before printing, All text is © British Library and is available under Creative Commons Attribution Licence except where otherwise stated, The Tiger Who Came to Tea by Judith Kerr: sketches and original artwork, Sean's Red Bike by Petronella Breinburg, illustrated by Errol Lloyd, Unfinished Business: The Fight for Women's Rights, The fight for women’s rights is unfinished business, Get 3 for 2 on all British Library Fiction, Why you need to protect your intellectual property, navigate their way around the building intuitively, making intellectual heritage accessible to everyone, Oral histories of architecture and landscape design, Architecture and design of the British Library, Stone, bricks and fossils of the British Library, Galleries, Reading Rooms, Shop and Catering Opening Times Vary. He said: ‘As you move towards the circular opening of the porthole, it fits exactly with the cone of your vision. Learn more about how we’re making intellectual heritage accessible to everyone. Stone, bricks and fossils of the British Library While our building is home to millions of books, in our stonework resides oysters, plants and snails – all millions of years old.