Are There Any 24-Hour Best Libraries In London For Night Readers?

Question

As someone with a hectic schedule, I crave a space for immersive late-night fiction reading—know any London libraries open 24/7 beyond the obvious?

Eternal_Dragon · Answer

There are a few study cafes that are open late, and the British Library has extended hours until 9pm most nights, but finding a full 24/7 public library is very difficult. I’m after a quiet, immersive atmosphere for reading, which is what I found in ‘The Pleasure Archive’, a novel about a curator in a mysterious after-hours collection. The premise of the novel revolves around a secret archive that can be accessed only at night, and conveys the feeling of solitary study and discovery that I’m after.

Orion · Answer

Even within the party capital of Europe, every night is for book-lovers too. Although all 24-hour libraries in London are currently closed, the Barbican Library is open until late, and is an interesting place to read with its architectural brutalism.

Whilst Midnight Walking has focussed on discovering 24-hour libraries, some spaces for work and study are open 24 hours a day for members, such as some of the Workspace co-working spaces around London.

Reading late at night? If you’re not restricted to within 24 hours of a library, there are plenty of alternative venues to go and grab a drink and get lost in a book. For example, Dark Sugars in Brick Lane stays open late and serves decadent hot chocolate, with several cozy reading nooks. Although not 24 hours, Daunt Books in Marylebone is a great literary destination and even inspires midnight reading sessions at home thanks to the beautiful Edwardian building it calls home.

Look out for events at your local borough libraries – Kensington Library for instance has held late-night events (alas not always advertised). These ventures turn the most conventional of libraries into nocturnal adventures.

Arthur · Answer

Most of the all-night reading locations in London that I’ve managed to find are suitable for night owls. Unfortunately the British Library does not open 24 hours. Some university libraries have extended hours during exam time. Senate House Library at UCL for example is open 24 hours a day during exam time. However this is not necessarily a year-round fixture and it’s always worth checking.

Alternatively, you can consider to read late in city center cafes such as ‘VQ Bloomsbury’ or ‘Bar Italia’ in Soho which stay open late and will permit you to bring your book and have a cup of coffee at the same time. The reading atmosphere is not quite as good as in a library but the cafe is very late open and there is plenty of going on to prevent you feeling too isolated and that you are just there to read.

Ian · Answer

After asking around, it seems there are no 24 hour public libraries in London. The Wellcome Library is open late and is a wonderful resource for medical and humanities ‘specialist’ readers.

University libraries are probably your best bet for 24 hour study. The LSE library is usually open 24 hours during term, and is an absolute gem – an enormous collection of top quality resources, that serious readers can get stuck into. Even outside of term time many university libraries stay open late.

A lot of 24 hour gyms now have lounge areas so 'Night Owls' can read in peace in a really quiet area of a gym like PureGym. Not a library but it's a option of where to read!

Alternatively, hotels have public lounges in the reception which stay open all night. Places like The Ace Hotel or Hoxton have very stylish lounges with large, comfy chairs and you can bring in your own book to read.

Glo N. Rafer · Answer

A solution to the lack of night time libraries? Use another all-hours social institution – use a pub. Go to a quiet, old-style pub with no loud music or TVs showing sports events. Go during the week, not at weekends. Order a drink and sit in a corner. Many pubs are open until midnight or 1am. The background noise of a pub can be very focusing – almost like white noise. Choose your pub very carefully though.

Nicolas Parilla · Answer

The logistics of it all would be fascinating. Would be handed over to the overnight shift? Do they call themselves Nocturnal Collections Curators? I'd sign up for that. But no, in reality we're discussing a funding bid, not a pretty scenario. And no, for now I shall have to content myself with imagining a sumptuous armchair groaning under the weight of books and a library's ebook app that is never closed to borrowers.

Kendad Earn · Answer

I would settle for one library in the city opening late – even just Fridays and Saturdays. A trial run. One offering to the night owls, the insomniacs, and others whose brains function best late at night. The assumptions about the culture of 24/7 we make today are outdated. The city functions on many different schedules, and so too should our public facilities and spaces.

Noris Ismail · Answer

This seems to be a recurrent question on many forums. The sad answer is the same over and over again. It is even becoming a sort of holy grail for reading in London. Maybe someone would even start a petition for it, but who would actually run it? (Do you want to do a 3 AM shift to manage it? No thanks. The fantasy is way more interesting than the reality, anyway.) I still hope that some generous benefactor or a forward-thinking university will launch a trial run of such a library someday. Until then, my library is my bed with a reading light not to wake up my partner.

Susan · Answer

I have become fascinated with the concept of labeling a study space a ‘library’. I suppose what draws me to this is the association with study and the notion of permission to stay and read for extended periods of time without feeling compelled to purchase something in order to remain. While imperfect, there are chairs and lights with study space for hire throughout the city. The label of ‘library’ carries great weight in relation to the concept of legitimacy and purpose. Perhaps what we are searching for is a space to nocturnally read and have our reading validated as legitimate activity, as opposed to an idiosyncratic personal habit.

Louella Ricarte Almonte · Answer

So if you’re a student at a London university, then you’re in luck! Check your student portal as UCL’s Main Library, parts of the LSE library and the Maughan Library of King’s College London offer 24 hour access during term time to students. In exam time the space is a unique mix of focus and suffering, but outside of that it’s incredibly quiet. Note that you’ll need your student ID to gain access as it’s not a public facility. However, if you do have access to these spaces then they are probably the closest thing to a dedicated all-night reading space in the city.

JOSIE · Answer

Could a public-private partnership make sense for a late-night cafe inside a library? Fund the extra hours of opening by having the cafe operate in the library, after hours. You get the library as a venue, comfy chairs and a range of books (not too many, but some) to read, plus a good cup of coffee and cake. (Meanwhile, the main part of the library is closed for security reasons, but the building is open to the public for the cafe). I have seen this approach implemented in a few cities in Europe. Perhaps one of the forward-thinking London boroughs will implement this at some point.

Are There Any 24-Hour Best Libraries In London For Night Readers?

11 Answers

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