Sir John Ritblat Gallery:
Treasures of the British Library

The Sir John Ritblat Gallery in the Library's St Pancras building hosts a permanent display of our greatest treasures, drawn from the many millions of items in our collections. See over 200 beautiful and fascinating items: sacred texts from many faiths, maps and views, early printing, literary, historical, scientific and musical works from over the centuries and around the world.

Discover some of the world's most exciting and significant books, from Magna Carta and the Gutenberg Bible, to Handel and the Beatles. Marvel at the genius behind the Leonardo notebooks, and see the earliest versions of some of the greatest works of English literature, including Alice's Adventures Under Ground and Shakespeare's First Folio.

All of our exhibition galleries are open to everyone, free of charge, seven days a week.

Over 200 unique items are arranged, case by case, as follows:

• Dawn of printing
• Historical documents
• Illuminated manuscripts
• Literary manuscripts and printed books
• Magna Carta and associated documents
• Maps and views
• Music (incl. Beatles loan)
• Sacred texts
• Science
• Shakespeare and contemporaries
• Bookbindings

Among them are:

• Documents that made and recorded history
• Sacred texts of the world's great religions
• Masterpieces of book painting (illumination)
• Landmarks in printing
• Great works of literature and music
• Major advances in science and mapmaking
• Rare sound recordings

Some of the items on display are described in our Online Gallery.

For preservation reasons the light and temperature levels must be kept low and items in the gallery may be changed at intervals. Sometimes items are lent to other institutions for exhibition. If you wish to be sure that a particular item is on display, please check in advance.

Group Tours

Book a free guided tour of the Sir John Ritblat Gallery: Treasures of the British Library. These hour-long tours will examine some of the fascinating items on display, including manuscripts, historical texts, maps, music and more. Looking at themes such as culture and creativity, innovation and discovery, power and politics, you will uncover the stories and histories behind items that changed the world. There will be opportunities to ask questions and discuss. These tours are for adult groups only.

To make a booking or for more information, please visit our website www.bl.uk/workshops, email learning@bl.uk or telephone +44 (0)20 7412 7797.

School visits

For more information about school visits, please visit our website www.bl.uk/workshops, email learning@bl.uk or telephone +44 (0)20 7412 7797.