Inside the main lobby at the entrance to the British Library stands a large engraved stone block that commemorates the opening of this amazing cultural treasure by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.
The block reads as follows:
"Building
Opened by
The Queen
June 1998"
The British Library is worth several hours of your time, and admission is FREE.
The British Library is a repository of every item published in the UK and Britian. It has an AMAZING collection of historical manuscripts, maps, and writings, from the oldest surviving publication of Chaucer's 'Canterbury Tales' to original Shakespeare poems and play manuscripts to Paul McCartney's handwritten lyrics to the Beatle's song 'Let it Be'. And everything in between: an original copy of the Magna Carta, Milton's poetry, early illuminated and printed Bibles -- the collection at the British Library is amazing, and its FREE to come see.
From their website: (
visit link)
"ABOUT US
* We receive a copy of every publication produced in the UK and Ireland
* The collection includes well over 150 million items, in most known languages
* 3 million new items are added every year
* We have manuscripts, maps, newspapers, magazines, prints and drawings, music scores, and patents
* The Sound Archive keeps sound recordings from 19th-century cylinders to CD, DVD and MD recordings
* We house 8 million stamps and other philatelic items
* All this requires over 625 km of shelves, and grows by 12 km every year
* If you see 5 items each day, it would take you over 80,000 years to see the whole of the collection
* The world's earliest dated printed book, the Diamond Sutra, is sometimes on display in our exhibition galleries alongside many other treasures
* We have on-site space for over 1,200 Readers
* Over 16,000 people use the collections each day (on site and online)
* Online catalogues, information and exhibitions can be found on this website
* We operate the world's largest document delivery service providing millions of items a year to customers all over the world
In depth Access
* The British Library serves business and industry, researchers, academics and students, in the UK and world-wide
Each year:
* Six million searches are generated by the British Library online catalogue
* Nearly 400,000 visit our Reading Rooms
* Over 100 million items have been supplied to users all over the world"
Queen Elizabeth II is the current reigning Monarch of Great Britain and the united Kingdom. As of 2016, she is the lonest-reigning British monarch in history.
From the Royal website: (
visit link)
"About Her Majesty The Queen
The Queen has ruled for longer than any other Monarch in British history, becoming a much loved and respected figure across the globe. Her extraordinary reign has seen her travel more widely than any other monarch, undertaking many historic overseas visits. Known for her sense of duty and her devotion to a life of service, she has been an important figurehead for the UK and the Commonwealth during times of enormous social change.
Her Majesty continues to carry out a full programme of engagements, from visits to charities and schools, to hosting visiting Heads of State, to leading the nation in Remembrance and celebratory events - all supported by other members of the Royal Family.
The Queen sees public and voluntary service as one of the most important elements of her work. The Queen has links - as Royal Patron or President - with over 600 charities, military associations, professional bodies and public service organisations. These vary from well-established international charities to smaller bodies working in a specialist area or on a local basis only.
Her patronages and charities cover a wide range of issues, from opportunities for young people, to the preservation of wildlife and the environment. Having Her Majesty as Royal patron or president provides vital publicity for the work of these organisations, and allows their enormous achievements and contributions to society to be recognised."