The British Museum’s Reading Room: Past and Present
Containing 25,000 books and opening for the first time in 11 years, we look back at the Reading Room's long history...
By
Rhea Mathur
September 2, 2024
After managing to get a ticket online or in person, standing and waiting in the long queues, and then manoeuvring past crowds of people wondering where to go, perhaps you were able to visit the British Museum’s Reading Room which reopened this July. After eleven years, this room, which lies at the heart of the museum, is finally open and free for visitors to enter.
The history of the room
Due to the growing need in the 1850s for the British Library to stash its exquisite collection of books, Antonio Panizzi, the Keeper of Printed Books (1837–1856), suggested the construction of the Reading Room in the central courtyard of the Museum. This round room in its earliest design consisted of two concentric circles, with the smaller one opening into the closed library. With tall ceilings and a large dome, the room was designed to mimic the grandeur of the Pantheon in Rome, a temple for the Gods. Designed by Sydney Smirke (1798–1877), the Reading Room took three years to complete (1854-1857) and included bookshelves made from iron that would both be able to handle the weight of the books as well as protect them from a fire. This gave it the name of the Iron Library, though the ceiling of the room was constructed in segments out of cast-iron and papier-mâché.
After construction, entry into this room required a ticket by the Principal Librarian and, although there were one-off visits, it remained closed to any general public access. It was during this period that Karl Marx, Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, and other thinkers were given access to the room’s extensive collection. After applying in writing, they were all issued tickets to enter and study in the library. For their research, they would first consult the General Catalogue of Printed Books and then fill out a request form for a certain text. The library did not allow any perusal of the collection, and sometimes the wait time for a book was over an hour. Once used, the books were returned to the shelves and never allowed to leave the premises. However, since most libraries in London until this time had relied on natural light and gas lanterns, this became one of the first public places to have electric light, allowing researchers to work beyond the hours of natural light.
In 1997, the British Library relocated to its current - and much larger - location in St Pancras, near King’s Cross. Once the books were relocated, the room went through another renovation, where its current (and original) light blue and golden colour scheme was reinstated. The domed room has windows across the slanted walls that allow visitors to see into the circular museum. The walls are painted white with blue patterns and golden moulding around them. There is also a large clock on the wall, beneath which in yellow is its title, the ‘Walter and Leonore Annenberg Centre’.
Under this title are the stacks of books, said to be around 25,000 printed materials which refer to the museum's collection or the cultures they represent. This modern information centre is a collection of printed materials including catalogues and reference books, which allow a study into the museum’s vast collection covering Africa, Oceania and the Americas, Asia, Britain, Europe, Ancient Rome and Greece. Along with this, the museum also has a separate library, housing a collection of over 300,000 books, allowing further research into the field and subject matters they explore.
Containing a large repository of global art and artefacts, reading rooms and libraries are essential to the space. These allow not just a detailed look into the objects, but also for contemporary ideology and understanding of such artworks to enter into the public domain. The reading room at the heart of the museum prioritises what is necessary: a researched and constantly evolving study of our ever-growing history.
New and Improved - a look at the room
The Reading Room was used exclusively for special exhibitions from 2007 until 2013, and remained completely closed until this year, 2024. Now, the space is open to the public once again, inviting visitors to explore its rich history. Although it appears to be undergoing some reconfiguration, with changes to its floor layout, the stacks of books remain safely along the walls, evoking the room's illustrious past. For the first time, photography is now permitted, allowing visitors to capture their experience in this historic space. A few boards mark the notable figures who once visited, including Oscar Wilde, Sylvia Pankhurst, Vladimir Lenin, and George Orwell, further enriching the public's connection to its storied past.
After managing to get a ticket online or in person, standing and waiting in the long queues, and then manoeuvring past crowds of people wondering where to go, perhaps you were able to visit the British Museum’s Reading Room which reopened this July. After eleven years, this room, which lies at the heart of the museum, is finally open and free for visitors to enter.
The history of the room
Due to the growing need in the 1850s for the British Library to stash its exquisite collection of books, Antonio Panizzi, the Keeper of Printed Books (1837–1856), suggested the construction of the Reading Room in the central courtyard of the Museum. This round room in its earliest design consisted of two concentric circles, with the smaller one opening into the closed library. With tall ceilings and a large dome, the room was designed to mimic the grandeur of the Pantheon in Rome, a temple for the Gods. Designed by Sydney Smirke (1798–1877), the Reading Room took three years to complete (1854-1857) and included bookshelves made from iron that would both be able to handle the weight of the books as well as protect them from a fire. This gave it the name of the Iron Library, though the ceiling of the room was constructed in segments out of cast-iron and papier-mâché.
After construction, entry into this room required a ticket by the Principal Librarian and, although there were one-off visits, it remained closed to any general public access. It was during this period that Karl Marx, Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, and other thinkers were given access to the room’s extensive collection. After applying in writing, they were all issued tickets to enter and study in the library. For their research, they would first consult the General Catalogue of Printed Books and then fill out a request form for a certain text. The library did not allow any perusal of the collection, and sometimes the wait time for a book was over an hour. Once used, the books were returned to the shelves and never allowed to leave the premises. However, since most libraries in London until this time had relied on natural light and gas lanterns, this became one of the first public places to have electric light, allowing researchers to work beyond the hours of natural light.
In 1997, the British Library relocated to its current - and much larger - location in St Pancras, near King’s Cross. Once the books were relocated, the room went through another renovation, where its current (and original) light blue and golden colour scheme was reinstated. The domed room has windows across the slanted walls that allow visitors to see into the circular museum. The walls are painted white with blue patterns and golden moulding around them. There is also a large clock on the wall, beneath which in yellow is its title, the ‘Walter and Leonore Annenberg Centre’.
Under this title are the stacks of books, said to be around 25,000 printed materials which refer to the museum's collection or the cultures they represent. This modern information centre is a collection of printed materials including catalogues and reference books, which allow a study into the museum’s vast collection covering Africa, Oceania and the Americas, Asia, Britain, Europe, Ancient Rome and Greece. Along with this, the museum also has a separate library, housing a collection of over 300,000 books, allowing further research into the field and subject matters they explore.
Containing a large repository of global art and artefacts, reading rooms and libraries are essential to the space. These allow not just a detailed look into the objects, but also for contemporary ideology and understanding of such artworks to enter into the public domain. The reading room at the heart of the museum prioritises what is necessary: a researched and constantly evolving study of our ever-growing history.
New and Improved - a look at the room
The Reading Room was used exclusively for special exhibitions from 2007 until 2013, and remained completely closed until this year, 2024. Now, the space is open to the public once again, inviting visitors to explore its rich history. Although it appears to be undergoing some reconfiguration, with changes to its floor layout, the stacks of books remain safely along the walls, evoking the room's illustrious past. For the first time, photography is now permitted, allowing visitors to capture their experience in this historic space. A few boards mark the notable figures who once visited, including Oscar Wilde, Sylvia Pankhurst, Vladimir Lenin, and George Orwell, further enriching the public's connection to its storied past.
After managing to get a ticket online or in person, standing and waiting in the long queues, and then manoeuvring past crowds of people wondering where to go, perhaps you were able to visit the British Museum’s Reading Room which reopened this July. After eleven years, this room, which lies at the heart of the museum, is finally open and free for visitors to enter.
The history of the room
Due to the growing need in the 1850s for the British Library to stash its exquisite collection of books, Antonio Panizzi, the Keeper of Printed Books (1837–1856), suggested the construction of the Reading Room in the central courtyard of the Museum. This round room in its earliest design consisted of two concentric circles, with the smaller one opening into the closed library. With tall ceilings and a large dome, the room was designed to mimic the grandeur of the Pantheon in Rome, a temple for the Gods. Designed by Sydney Smirke (1798–1877), the Reading Room took three years to complete (1854-1857) and included bookshelves made from iron that would both be able to handle the weight of the books as well as protect them from a fire. This gave it the name of the Iron Library, though the ceiling of the room was constructed in segments out of cast-iron and papier-mâché.
After construction, entry into this room required a ticket by the Principal Librarian and, although there were one-off visits, it remained closed to any general public access. It was during this period that Karl Marx, Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, and other thinkers were given access to the room’s extensive collection. After applying in writing, they were all issued tickets to enter and study in the library. For their research, they would first consult the General Catalogue of Printed Books and then fill out a request form for a certain text. The library did not allow any perusal of the collection, and sometimes the wait time for a book was over an hour. Once used, the books were returned to the shelves and never allowed to leave the premises. However, since most libraries in London until this time had relied on natural light and gas lanterns, this became one of the first public places to have electric light, allowing researchers to work beyond the hours of natural light.
In 1997, the British Library relocated to its current - and much larger - location in St Pancras, near King’s Cross. Once the books were relocated, the room went through another renovation, where its current (and original) light blue and golden colour scheme was reinstated. The domed room has windows across the slanted walls that allow visitors to see into the circular museum. The walls are painted white with blue patterns and golden moulding around them. There is also a large clock on the wall, beneath which in yellow is its title, the ‘Walter and Leonore Annenberg Centre’.
Under this title are the stacks of books, said to be around 25,000 printed materials which refer to the museum's collection or the cultures they represent. This modern information centre is a collection of printed materials including catalogues and reference books, which allow a study into the museum’s vast collection covering Africa, Oceania and the Americas, Asia, Britain, Europe, Ancient Rome and Greece. Along with this, the museum also has a separate library, housing a collection of over 300,000 books, allowing further research into the field and subject matters they explore.
Containing a large repository of global art and artefacts, reading rooms and libraries are essential to the space. These allow not just a detailed look into the objects, but also for contemporary ideology and understanding of such artworks to enter into the public domain. The reading room at the heart of the museum prioritises what is necessary: a researched and constantly evolving study of our ever-growing history.
New and Improved - a look at the room
The Reading Room was used exclusively for special exhibitions from 2007 until 2013, and remained completely closed until this year, 2024. Now, the space is open to the public once again, inviting visitors to explore its rich history. Although it appears to be undergoing some reconfiguration, with changes to its floor layout, the stacks of books remain safely along the walls, evoking the room's illustrious past. For the first time, photography is now permitted, allowing visitors to capture their experience in this historic space. A few boards mark the notable figures who once visited, including Oscar Wilde, Sylvia Pankhurst, Vladimir Lenin, and George Orwell, further enriching the public's connection to its storied past.
After managing to get a ticket online or in person, standing and waiting in the long queues, and then manoeuvring past crowds of people wondering where to go, perhaps you were able to visit the British Museum’s Reading Room which reopened this July. After eleven years, this room, which lies at the heart of the museum, is finally open and free for visitors to enter.
The history of the room
Due to the growing need in the 1850s for the British Library to stash its exquisite collection of books, Antonio Panizzi, the Keeper of Printed Books (1837–1856), suggested the construction of the Reading Room in the central courtyard of the Museum. This round room in its earliest design consisted of two concentric circles, with the smaller one opening into the closed library. With tall ceilings and a large dome, the room was designed to mimic the grandeur of the Pantheon in Rome, a temple for the Gods. Designed by Sydney Smirke (1798–1877), the Reading Room took three years to complete (1854-1857) and included bookshelves made from iron that would both be able to handle the weight of the books as well as protect them from a fire. This gave it the name of the Iron Library, though the ceiling of the room was constructed in segments out of cast-iron and papier-mâché.
After construction, entry into this room required a ticket by the Principal Librarian and, although there were one-off visits, it remained closed to any general public access. It was during this period that Karl Marx, Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, and other thinkers were given access to the room’s extensive collection. After applying in writing, they were all issued tickets to enter and study in the library. For their research, they would first consult the General Catalogue of Printed Books and then fill out a request form for a certain text. The library did not allow any perusal of the collection, and sometimes the wait time for a book was over an hour. Once used, the books were returned to the shelves and never allowed to leave the premises. However, since most libraries in London until this time had relied on natural light and gas lanterns, this became one of the first public places to have electric light, allowing researchers to work beyond the hours of natural light.
In 1997, the British Library relocated to its current - and much larger - location in St Pancras, near King’s Cross. Once the books were relocated, the room went through another renovation, where its current (and original) light blue and golden colour scheme was reinstated. The domed room has windows across the slanted walls that allow visitors to see into the circular museum. The walls are painted white with blue patterns and golden moulding around them. There is also a large clock on the wall, beneath which in yellow is its title, the ‘Walter and Leonore Annenberg Centre’.
Under this title are the stacks of books, said to be around 25,000 printed materials which refer to the museum's collection or the cultures they represent. This modern information centre is a collection of printed materials including catalogues and reference books, which allow a study into the museum’s vast collection covering Africa, Oceania and the Americas, Asia, Britain, Europe, Ancient Rome and Greece. Along with this, the museum also has a separate library, housing a collection of over 300,000 books, allowing further research into the field and subject matters they explore.
Containing a large repository of global art and artefacts, reading rooms and libraries are essential to the space. These allow not just a detailed look into the objects, but also for contemporary ideology and understanding of such artworks to enter into the public domain. The reading room at the heart of the museum prioritises what is necessary: a researched and constantly evolving study of our ever-growing history.
New and Improved - a look at the room
The Reading Room was used exclusively for special exhibitions from 2007 until 2013, and remained completely closed until this year, 2024. Now, the space is open to the public once again, inviting visitors to explore its rich history. Although it appears to be undergoing some reconfiguration, with changes to its floor layout, the stacks of books remain safely along the walls, evoking the room's illustrious past. For the first time, photography is now permitted, allowing visitors to capture their experience in this historic space. A few boards mark the notable figures who once visited, including Oscar Wilde, Sylvia Pankhurst, Vladimir Lenin, and George Orwell, further enriching the public's connection to its storied past.
After managing to get a ticket online or in person, standing and waiting in the long queues, and then manoeuvring past crowds of people wondering where to go, perhaps you were able to visit the British Museum’s Reading Room which reopened this July. After eleven years, this room, which lies at the heart of the museum, is finally open and free for visitors to enter.
The history of the room
Due to the growing need in the 1850s for the British Library to stash its exquisite collection of books, Antonio Panizzi, the Keeper of Printed Books (1837–1856), suggested the construction of the Reading Room in the central courtyard of the Museum. This round room in its earliest design consisted of two concentric circles, with the smaller one opening into the closed library. With tall ceilings and a large dome, the room was designed to mimic the grandeur of the Pantheon in Rome, a temple for the Gods. Designed by Sydney Smirke (1798–1877), the Reading Room took three years to complete (1854-1857) and included bookshelves made from iron that would both be able to handle the weight of the books as well as protect them from a fire. This gave it the name of the Iron Library, though the ceiling of the room was constructed in segments out of cast-iron and papier-mâché.
After construction, entry into this room required a ticket by the Principal Librarian and, although there were one-off visits, it remained closed to any general public access. It was during this period that Karl Marx, Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, and other thinkers were given access to the room’s extensive collection. After applying in writing, they were all issued tickets to enter and study in the library. For their research, they would first consult the General Catalogue of Printed Books and then fill out a request form for a certain text. The library did not allow any perusal of the collection, and sometimes the wait time for a book was over an hour. Once used, the books were returned to the shelves and never allowed to leave the premises. However, since most libraries in London until this time had relied on natural light and gas lanterns, this became one of the first public places to have electric light, allowing researchers to work beyond the hours of natural light.
In 1997, the British Library relocated to its current - and much larger - location in St Pancras, near King’s Cross. Once the books were relocated, the room went through another renovation, where its current (and original) light blue and golden colour scheme was reinstated. The domed room has windows across the slanted walls that allow visitors to see into the circular museum. The walls are painted white with blue patterns and golden moulding around them. There is also a large clock on the wall, beneath which in yellow is its title, the ‘Walter and Leonore Annenberg Centre’.
Under this title are the stacks of books, said to be around 25,000 printed materials which refer to the museum's collection or the cultures they represent. This modern information centre is a collection of printed materials including catalogues and reference books, which allow a study into the museum’s vast collection covering Africa, Oceania and the Americas, Asia, Britain, Europe, Ancient Rome and Greece. Along with this, the museum also has a separate library, housing a collection of over 300,000 books, allowing further research into the field and subject matters they explore.
Containing a large repository of global art and artefacts, reading rooms and libraries are essential to the space. These allow not just a detailed look into the objects, but also for contemporary ideology and understanding of such artworks to enter into the public domain. The reading room at the heart of the museum prioritises what is necessary: a researched and constantly evolving study of our ever-growing history.
New and Improved - a look at the room
The Reading Room was used exclusively for special exhibitions from 2007 until 2013, and remained completely closed until this year, 2024. Now, the space is open to the public once again, inviting visitors to explore its rich history. Although it appears to be undergoing some reconfiguration, with changes to its floor layout, the stacks of books remain safely along the walls, evoking the room's illustrious past. For the first time, photography is now permitted, allowing visitors to capture their experience in this historic space. A few boards mark the notable figures who once visited, including Oscar Wilde, Sylvia Pankhurst, Vladimir Lenin, and George Orwell, further enriching the public's connection to its storied past.
After managing to get a ticket online or in person, standing and waiting in the long queues, and then manoeuvring past crowds of people wondering where to go, perhaps you were able to visit the British Museum’s Reading Room which reopened this July. After eleven years, this room, which lies at the heart of the museum, is finally open and free for visitors to enter.
The history of the room
Due to the growing need in the 1850s for the British Library to stash its exquisite collection of books, Antonio Panizzi, the Keeper of Printed Books (1837–1856), suggested the construction of the Reading Room in the central courtyard of the Museum. This round room in its earliest design consisted of two concentric circles, with the smaller one opening into the closed library. With tall ceilings and a large dome, the room was designed to mimic the grandeur of the Pantheon in Rome, a temple for the Gods. Designed by Sydney Smirke (1798–1877), the Reading Room took three years to complete (1854-1857) and included bookshelves made from iron that would both be able to handle the weight of the books as well as protect them from a fire. This gave it the name of the Iron Library, though the ceiling of the room was constructed in segments out of cast-iron and papier-mâché.
After construction, entry into this room required a ticket by the Principal Librarian and, although there were one-off visits, it remained closed to any general public access. It was during this period that Karl Marx, Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, and other thinkers were given access to the room’s extensive collection. After applying in writing, they were all issued tickets to enter and study in the library. For their research, they would first consult the General Catalogue of Printed Books and then fill out a request form for a certain text. The library did not allow any perusal of the collection, and sometimes the wait time for a book was over an hour. Once used, the books were returned to the shelves and never allowed to leave the premises. However, since most libraries in London until this time had relied on natural light and gas lanterns, this became one of the first public places to have electric light, allowing researchers to work beyond the hours of natural light.
In 1997, the British Library relocated to its current - and much larger - location in St Pancras, near King’s Cross. Once the books were relocated, the room went through another renovation, where its current (and original) light blue and golden colour scheme was reinstated. The domed room has windows across the slanted walls that allow visitors to see into the circular museum. The walls are painted white with blue patterns and golden moulding around them. There is also a large clock on the wall, beneath which in yellow is its title, the ‘Walter and Leonore Annenberg Centre’.
Under this title are the stacks of books, said to be around 25,000 printed materials which refer to the museum's collection or the cultures they represent. This modern information centre is a collection of printed materials including catalogues and reference books, which allow a study into the museum’s vast collection covering Africa, Oceania and the Americas, Asia, Britain, Europe, Ancient Rome and Greece. Along with this, the museum also has a separate library, housing a collection of over 300,000 books, allowing further research into the field and subject matters they explore.
Containing a large repository of global art and artefacts, reading rooms and libraries are essential to the space. These allow not just a detailed look into the objects, but also for contemporary ideology and understanding of such artworks to enter into the public domain. The reading room at the heart of the museum prioritises what is necessary: a researched and constantly evolving study of our ever-growing history.
New and Improved - a look at the room
The Reading Room was used exclusively for special exhibitions from 2007 until 2013, and remained completely closed until this year, 2024. Now, the space is open to the public once again, inviting visitors to explore its rich history. Although it appears to be undergoing some reconfiguration, with changes to its floor layout, the stacks of books remain safely along the walls, evoking the room's illustrious past. For the first time, photography is now permitted, allowing visitors to capture their experience in this historic space. A few boards mark the notable figures who once visited, including Oscar Wilde, Sylvia Pankhurst, Vladimir Lenin, and George Orwell, further enriching the public's connection to its storied past.
After managing to get a ticket online or in person, standing and waiting in the long queues, and then manoeuvring past crowds of people wondering where to go, perhaps you were able to visit the British Museum’s Reading Room which reopened this July. After eleven years, this room, which lies at the heart of the museum, is finally open and free for visitors to enter.
The history of the room
Due to the growing need in the 1850s for the British Library to stash its exquisite collection of books, Antonio Panizzi, the Keeper of Printed Books (1837–1856), suggested the construction of the Reading Room in the central courtyard of the Museum. This round room in its earliest design consisted of two concentric circles, with the smaller one opening into the closed library. With tall ceilings and a large dome, the room was designed to mimic the grandeur of the Pantheon in Rome, a temple for the Gods. Designed by Sydney Smirke (1798–1877), the Reading Room took three years to complete (1854-1857) and included bookshelves made from iron that would both be able to handle the weight of the books as well as protect them from a fire. This gave it the name of the Iron Library, though the ceiling of the room was constructed in segments out of cast-iron and papier-mâché.
After construction, entry into this room required a ticket by the Principal Librarian and, although there were one-off visits, it remained closed to any general public access. It was during this period that Karl Marx, Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, and other thinkers were given access to the room’s extensive collection. After applying in writing, they were all issued tickets to enter and study in the library. For their research, they would first consult the General Catalogue of Printed Books and then fill out a request form for a certain text. The library did not allow any perusal of the collection, and sometimes the wait time for a book was over an hour. Once used, the books were returned to the shelves and never allowed to leave the premises. However, since most libraries in London until this time had relied on natural light and gas lanterns, this became one of the first public places to have electric light, allowing researchers to work beyond the hours of natural light.
In 1997, the British Library relocated to its current - and much larger - location in St Pancras, near King’s Cross. Once the books were relocated, the room went through another renovation, where its current (and original) light blue and golden colour scheme was reinstated. The domed room has windows across the slanted walls that allow visitors to see into the circular museum. The walls are painted white with blue patterns and golden moulding around them. There is also a large clock on the wall, beneath which in yellow is its title, the ‘Walter and Leonore Annenberg Centre’.
Under this title are the stacks of books, said to be around 25,000 printed materials which refer to the museum's collection or the cultures they represent. This modern information centre is a collection of printed materials including catalogues and reference books, which allow a study into the museum’s vast collection covering Africa, Oceania and the Americas, Asia, Britain, Europe, Ancient Rome and Greece. Along with this, the museum also has a separate library, housing a collection of over 300,000 books, allowing further research into the field and subject matters they explore.
Containing a large repository of global art and artefacts, reading rooms and libraries are essential to the space. These allow not just a detailed look into the objects, but also for contemporary ideology and understanding of such artworks to enter into the public domain. The reading room at the heart of the museum prioritises what is necessary: a researched and constantly evolving study of our ever-growing history.
New and Improved - a look at the room
The Reading Room was used exclusively for special exhibitions from 2007 until 2013, and remained completely closed until this year, 2024. Now, the space is open to the public once again, inviting visitors to explore its rich history. Although it appears to be undergoing some reconfiguration, with changes to its floor layout, the stacks of books remain safely along the walls, evoking the room's illustrious past. For the first time, photography is now permitted, allowing visitors to capture their experience in this historic space. A few boards mark the notable figures who once visited, including Oscar Wilde, Sylvia Pankhurst, Vladimir Lenin, and George Orwell, further enriching the public's connection to its storied past.
After managing to get a ticket online or in person, standing and waiting in the long queues, and then manoeuvring past crowds of people wondering where to go, perhaps you were able to visit the British Museum’s Reading Room which reopened this July. After eleven years, this room, which lies at the heart of the museum, is finally open and free for visitors to enter.
The history of the room
Due to the growing need in the 1850s for the British Library to stash its exquisite collection of books, Antonio Panizzi, the Keeper of Printed Books (1837–1856), suggested the construction of the Reading Room in the central courtyard of the Museum. This round room in its earliest design consisted of two concentric circles, with the smaller one opening into the closed library. With tall ceilings and a large dome, the room was designed to mimic the grandeur of the Pantheon in Rome, a temple for the Gods. Designed by Sydney Smirke (1798–1877), the Reading Room took three years to complete (1854-1857) and included bookshelves made from iron that would both be able to handle the weight of the books as well as protect them from a fire. This gave it the name of the Iron Library, though the ceiling of the room was constructed in segments out of cast-iron and papier-mâché.
After construction, entry into this room required a ticket by the Principal Librarian and, although there were one-off visits, it remained closed to any general public access. It was during this period that Karl Marx, Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, and other thinkers were given access to the room’s extensive collection. After applying in writing, they were all issued tickets to enter and study in the library. For their research, they would first consult the General Catalogue of Printed Books and then fill out a request form for a certain text. The library did not allow any perusal of the collection, and sometimes the wait time for a book was over an hour. Once used, the books were returned to the shelves and never allowed to leave the premises. However, since most libraries in London until this time had relied on natural light and gas lanterns, this became one of the first public places to have electric light, allowing researchers to work beyond the hours of natural light.
In 1997, the British Library relocated to its current - and much larger - location in St Pancras, near King’s Cross. Once the books were relocated, the room went through another renovation, where its current (and original) light blue and golden colour scheme was reinstated. The domed room has windows across the slanted walls that allow visitors to see into the circular museum. The walls are painted white with blue patterns and golden moulding around them. There is also a large clock on the wall, beneath which in yellow is its title, the ‘Walter and Leonore Annenberg Centre’.
Under this title are the stacks of books, said to be around 25,000 printed materials which refer to the museum's collection or the cultures they represent. This modern information centre is a collection of printed materials including catalogues and reference books, which allow a study into the museum’s vast collection covering Africa, Oceania and the Americas, Asia, Britain, Europe, Ancient Rome and Greece. Along with this, the museum also has a separate library, housing a collection of over 300,000 books, allowing further research into the field and subject matters they explore.
Containing a large repository of global art and artefacts, reading rooms and libraries are essential to the space. These allow not just a detailed look into the objects, but also for contemporary ideology and understanding of such artworks to enter into the public domain. The reading room at the heart of the museum prioritises what is necessary: a researched and constantly evolving study of our ever-growing history.
New and Improved - a look at the room
The Reading Room was used exclusively for special exhibitions from 2007 until 2013, and remained completely closed until this year, 2024. Now, the space is open to the public once again, inviting visitors to explore its rich history. Although it appears to be undergoing some reconfiguration, with changes to its floor layout, the stacks of books remain safely along the walls, evoking the room's illustrious past. For the first time, photography is now permitted, allowing visitors to capture their experience in this historic space. A few boards mark the notable figures who once visited, including Oscar Wilde, Sylvia Pankhurst, Vladimir Lenin, and George Orwell, further enriching the public's connection to its storied past.
After managing to get a ticket online or in person, standing and waiting in the long queues, and then manoeuvring past crowds of people wondering where to go, perhaps you were able to visit the British Museum’s Reading Room which reopened this July. After eleven years, this room, which lies at the heart of the museum, is finally open and free for visitors to enter.
The history of the room
Due to the growing need in the 1850s for the British Library to stash its exquisite collection of books, Antonio Panizzi, the Keeper of Printed Books (1837–1856), suggested the construction of the Reading Room in the central courtyard of the Museum. This round room in its earliest design consisted of two concentric circles, with the smaller one opening into the closed library. With tall ceilings and a large dome, the room was designed to mimic the grandeur of the Pantheon in Rome, a temple for the Gods. Designed by Sydney Smirke (1798–1877), the Reading Room took three years to complete (1854-1857) and included bookshelves made from iron that would both be able to handle the weight of the books as well as protect them from a fire. This gave it the name of the Iron Library, though the ceiling of the room was constructed in segments out of cast-iron and papier-mâché.
After construction, entry into this room required a ticket by the Principal Librarian and, although there were one-off visits, it remained closed to any general public access. It was during this period that Karl Marx, Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, and other thinkers were given access to the room’s extensive collection. After applying in writing, they were all issued tickets to enter and study in the library. For their research, they would first consult the General Catalogue of Printed Books and then fill out a request form for a certain text. The library did not allow any perusal of the collection, and sometimes the wait time for a book was over an hour. Once used, the books were returned to the shelves and never allowed to leave the premises. However, since most libraries in London until this time had relied on natural light and gas lanterns, this became one of the first public places to have electric light, allowing researchers to work beyond the hours of natural light.
In 1997, the British Library relocated to its current - and much larger - location in St Pancras, near King’s Cross. Once the books were relocated, the room went through another renovation, where its current (and original) light blue and golden colour scheme was reinstated. The domed room has windows across the slanted walls that allow visitors to see into the circular museum. The walls are painted white with blue patterns and golden moulding around them. There is also a large clock on the wall, beneath which in yellow is its title, the ‘Walter and Leonore Annenberg Centre’.
Under this title are the stacks of books, said to be around 25,000 printed materials which refer to the museum's collection or the cultures they represent. This modern information centre is a collection of printed materials including catalogues and reference books, which allow a study into the museum’s vast collection covering Africa, Oceania and the Americas, Asia, Britain, Europe, Ancient Rome and Greece. Along with this, the museum also has a separate library, housing a collection of over 300,000 books, allowing further research into the field and subject matters they explore.
Containing a large repository of global art and artefacts, reading rooms and libraries are essential to the space. These allow not just a detailed look into the objects, but also for contemporary ideology and understanding of such artworks to enter into the public domain. The reading room at the heart of the museum prioritises what is necessary: a researched and constantly evolving study of our ever-growing history.
New and Improved - a look at the room
The Reading Room was used exclusively for special exhibitions from 2007 until 2013, and remained completely closed until this year, 2024. Now, the space is open to the public once again, inviting visitors to explore its rich history. Although it appears to be undergoing some reconfiguration, with changes to its floor layout, the stacks of books remain safely along the walls, evoking the room's illustrious past. For the first time, photography is now permitted, allowing visitors to capture their experience in this historic space. A few boards mark the notable figures who once visited, including Oscar Wilde, Sylvia Pankhurst, Vladimir Lenin, and George Orwell, further enriching the public's connection to its storied past.
After managing to get a ticket online or in person, standing and waiting in the long queues, and then manoeuvring past crowds of people wondering where to go, perhaps you were able to visit the British Museum’s Reading Room which reopened this July. After eleven years, this room, which lies at the heart of the museum, is finally open and free for visitors to enter.
The history of the room
Due to the growing need in the 1850s for the British Library to stash its exquisite collection of books, Antonio Panizzi, the Keeper of Printed Books (1837–1856), suggested the construction of the Reading Room in the central courtyard of the Museum. This round room in its earliest design consisted of two concentric circles, with the smaller one opening into the closed library. With tall ceilings and a large dome, the room was designed to mimic the grandeur of the Pantheon in Rome, a temple for the Gods. Designed by Sydney Smirke (1798–1877), the Reading Room took three years to complete (1854-1857) and included bookshelves made from iron that would both be able to handle the weight of the books as well as protect them from a fire. This gave it the name of the Iron Library, though the ceiling of the room was constructed in segments out of cast-iron and papier-mâché.
After construction, entry into this room required a ticket by the Principal Librarian and, although there were one-off visits, it remained closed to any general public access. It was during this period that Karl Marx, Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, and other thinkers were given access to the room’s extensive collection. After applying in writing, they were all issued tickets to enter and study in the library. For their research, they would first consult the General Catalogue of Printed Books and then fill out a request form for a certain text. The library did not allow any perusal of the collection, and sometimes the wait time for a book was over an hour. Once used, the books were returned to the shelves and never allowed to leave the premises. However, since most libraries in London until this time had relied on natural light and gas lanterns, this became one of the first public places to have electric light, allowing researchers to work beyond the hours of natural light.
In 1997, the British Library relocated to its current - and much larger - location in St Pancras, near King’s Cross. Once the books were relocated, the room went through another renovation, where its current (and original) light blue and golden colour scheme was reinstated. The domed room has windows across the slanted walls that allow visitors to see into the circular museum. The walls are painted white with blue patterns and golden moulding around them. There is also a large clock on the wall, beneath which in yellow is its title, the ‘Walter and Leonore Annenberg Centre’.
Under this title are the stacks of books, said to be around 25,000 printed materials which refer to the museum's collection or the cultures they represent. This modern information centre is a collection of printed materials including catalogues and reference books, which allow a study into the museum’s vast collection covering Africa, Oceania and the Americas, Asia, Britain, Europe, Ancient Rome and Greece. Along with this, the museum also has a separate library, housing a collection of over 300,000 books, allowing further research into the field and subject matters they explore.
Containing a large repository of global art and artefacts, reading rooms and libraries are essential to the space. These allow not just a detailed look into the objects, but also for contemporary ideology and understanding of such artworks to enter into the public domain. The reading room at the heart of the museum prioritises what is necessary: a researched and constantly evolving study of our ever-growing history.
New and Improved - a look at the room
The Reading Room was used exclusively for special exhibitions from 2007 until 2013, and remained completely closed until this year, 2024. Now, the space is open to the public once again, inviting visitors to explore its rich history. Although it appears to be undergoing some reconfiguration, with changes to its floor layout, the stacks of books remain safely along the walls, evoking the room's illustrious past. For the first time, photography is now permitted, allowing visitors to capture their experience in this historic space. A few boards mark the notable figures who once visited, including Oscar Wilde, Sylvia Pankhurst, Vladimir Lenin, and George Orwell, further enriching the public's connection to its storied past.
After managing to get a ticket online or in person, standing and waiting in the long queues, and then manoeuvring past crowds of people wondering where to go, perhaps you were able to visit the British Museum’s Reading Room which reopened this July. After eleven years, this room, which lies at the heart of the museum, is finally open and free for visitors to enter.
The history of the room
Due to the growing need in the 1850s for the British Library to stash its exquisite collection of books, Antonio Panizzi, the Keeper of Printed Books (1837–1856), suggested the construction of the Reading Room in the central courtyard of the Museum. This round room in its earliest design consisted of two concentric circles, with the smaller one opening into the closed library. With tall ceilings and a large dome, the room was designed to mimic the grandeur of the Pantheon in Rome, a temple for the Gods. Designed by Sydney Smirke (1798–1877), the Reading Room took three years to complete (1854-1857) and included bookshelves made from iron that would both be able to handle the weight of the books as well as protect them from a fire. This gave it the name of the Iron Library, though the ceiling of the room was constructed in segments out of cast-iron and papier-mâché.
After construction, entry into this room required a ticket by the Principal Librarian and, although there were one-off visits, it remained closed to any general public access. It was during this period that Karl Marx, Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, and other thinkers were given access to the room’s extensive collection. After applying in writing, they were all issued tickets to enter and study in the library. For their research, they would first consult the General Catalogue of Printed Books and then fill out a request form for a certain text. The library did not allow any perusal of the collection, and sometimes the wait time for a book was over an hour. Once used, the books were returned to the shelves and never allowed to leave the premises. However, since most libraries in London until this time had relied on natural light and gas lanterns, this became one of the first public places to have electric light, allowing researchers to work beyond the hours of natural light.
In 1997, the British Library relocated to its current - and much larger - location in St Pancras, near King’s Cross. Once the books were relocated, the room went through another renovation, where its current (and original) light blue and golden colour scheme was reinstated. The domed room has windows across the slanted walls that allow visitors to see into the circular museum. The walls are painted white with blue patterns and golden moulding around them. There is also a large clock on the wall, beneath which in yellow is its title, the ‘Walter and Leonore Annenberg Centre’.
Under this title are the stacks of books, said to be around 25,000 printed materials which refer to the museum's collection or the cultures they represent. This modern information centre is a collection of printed materials including catalogues and reference books, which allow a study into the museum’s vast collection covering Africa, Oceania and the Americas, Asia, Britain, Europe, Ancient Rome and Greece. Along with this, the museum also has a separate library, housing a collection of over 300,000 books, allowing further research into the field and subject matters they explore.
Containing a large repository of global art and artefacts, reading rooms and libraries are essential to the space. These allow not just a detailed look into the objects, but also for contemporary ideology and understanding of such artworks to enter into the public domain. The reading room at the heart of the museum prioritises what is necessary: a researched and constantly evolving study of our ever-growing history.
New and Improved - a look at the room
The Reading Room was used exclusively for special exhibitions from 2007 until 2013, and remained completely closed until this year, 2024. Now, the space is open to the public once again, inviting visitors to explore its rich history. Although it appears to be undergoing some reconfiguration, with changes to its floor layout, the stacks of books remain safely along the walls, evoking the room's illustrious past. For the first time, photography is now permitted, allowing visitors to capture their experience in this historic space. A few boards mark the notable figures who once visited, including Oscar Wilde, Sylvia Pankhurst, Vladimir Lenin, and George Orwell, further enriching the public's connection to its storied past.
