This is for the house, not the library, as unfortunately we did not have time to see the library…read moreduring this visit (but it is on the list of things to make time for on a future visit). This was our first time visiting a manor house, and it was amazing. From first walking to the end of the driveway/carriageway and seeing the house for the first time, I was enchanted. Everything is so well-preserved and/or restored so as to give a good sense of what it would have been like to have lived there in Jane Austen's time (they do recognize most of their visitors are Jane Austen fans, but really, if you have any interest in English country estates or manor houses, you can appreciate this house's history and beauty). The staff and volunteers are very passionate and knowledgeable, and they will share as little or as much as you want them to. The gardens are also peaceful to walk through, and worth the time. They also have The Old Kitchen Tearoom. We had not had a chance to eat that morning, so were pretty hungry by the time we finished the tour before walking through the gardens or down the road to Jane Austen's house. The tearoom was pleasant, with both indoor and outdoor seating available. It was a nice day, so we sat outside, and the small courtyard that makes up the outdoor seating was beautiful. We had the egg and bacon brioche sandwiches, which perfectly hit the spot and gave us the energy we needed for our future walks that day. In the future, I would just make sure to make Chawton a full day trip. Yes, it is a village and there is not a lot overall, but this house alone offers so much that you really need to give yourself the time to appreciate it. We were there for about 2 hours, but could have easily spent another 1-2 hours depending if we wanted to spend more time in the gardens, see the library, and/or see the church (which we did try to see, but was locked when we visited). Thank you to the Knight family for opening up your property for us to see, and to all those who have ensured over the years that this place is accessible to appreciate!

Just a short walk (five minutes) up a pretty country lane from Jane Austen's cottage in Chawton,…read moreyou will find a stately surprise in the form of a Tudor manor house, built in the 1500's. Chawton House and estate were owned by Jane's wealthy brother. She called it "The Great House". Today it is a working educational site (the Centre for the Study of Early Women's Writing, in partnership with the University of Southampton), yet is open to the public and a must-visit for Austen fans. Chawton House is one of the Knight estates inherited by Edward Austen, who was lucky enough to be adopted by rich relatives in need of an heir. He changed his surname from "Austen" to "Knight." The manor house interior has been beautifully restored. There is a church on the grounds (Jane's mother and sister are buried in the church yard) - and an attached farm. This grand house is probably where Jane spent a lot of time with family when she needed to get away from the cramped cottage. By the way, it's only recently that Chawton House been available for public tours; it has been a private facility for some 20 years. Happily we can now tour both the interior and the gardens. [Note: if you want to see one of the Pemberley-style estates Jane's brother inherited, go to the palatial Godmersham Park in Kent. Jane would have frequented this house, to visit her brother's family, as well. It's not quite Downton Abbey - but almost!] Finally, for Austenites, it's worth noting that Jane is buried inside Winchester Cathedral; and you can see the house where she died, not far from the Cathedral grounds. Winchester is only 15-20 miles from Chawton.

Excellent small library with a very good children's section. Not a lot of parking but there is…read moreshort term street parking outside. Attached to the Volunteers bureau so lots of good work going on in the buildibng. Have computers so webbed up and access to on-line catalogue for other surrey libraries. The gardens outside are also great and perfect for stealing a couple of minutes from the hustle bustle.

Very good small library with decent range of books. Well laid out and helpful staff if you are…read morestuck finding something. Good fiction and non fiction sections and a reasonable audio and video section. Internet connected computers available for registered users. Beware the weekly children's events if you're looking for quiet as they tend to make quite a lot of noise. Nice garden area at the back for a walk or a sit.

I joined this library and it took less than 5 minutes after which I received a plastic card with a…read morenumber on the back that I could use on one of the 12 or so internet computers for an hour at a time. One of the computers has a flat-bed scanner attached and the staff where very helpful and friendly when it came to explaining to me how to use it. Printing is cheap and available from any of the computers of which 4 are on the first floor of the library. You can also bring your own device, mobile phone, tablet or laptop and connect it to the wi-fi. I connected mine without any need for assistance from the staff, easy peasy. All the daily newspapers are there to read and every time I went there they were always available. I am into computers and I managed to take out the maximum 9 allowed books on one day, read them all in 3 hours and took them back only to suprise myself by finding another 9 that I could learn from, so I took them out too. To check-out and back in again they have a self-help section downstairs to the left so there is never any waiting, if there is someone there just go to the humans for check-in or out. All in all I was hugely impressed with the library, the furniture, the state of the art IT as well as the collection of books are in excellent condition and really up to date. Of the 18 IT books I took out most were 2012 and I was the first one to take about 12 of them out so they still had that new look and feel to them. Oh yes, and did I mention that all this is for FREE.

Woking Library is a large branch of Surrey County Libraries, and is a very spacious and pleasant…read moreplace to browse for books. The atmosphere is usually quiet and peaceful. There is a good selection of books; mostly fiction, but there is also a decent non fiction area, a section for teenage fiction and a children's area with child suitable comfy chairs and tables for reading. The computer facilities are also good, with many stations found around the library, some seated, some standing. All have access to the internet, and to the library catalogue. Library sales also often have some good bargains of books still in reasonable condition. The layout of the library can be be seen as quite confusing as the genres of books are grouped broadly, and then alphabetically within these sections, but if you are looking for a specific book this means it can take quite a long time to find if you're uncertain exactly which section it is in.

If you need to search newspapers,periodicals or browse free internet , th best place to do this is…read moreWoking Library. Lots of Computers are available to search the stock and accssing internet access They have kids Storey time sessisons on a weekly basis

A magnificent and historic library - a wonderful place for scholars and other bookish people.read more

Fantastic library based in the civic centre - easy to access from town. Is absolutely huge, with…read moreamazing selection of books, and I think around 50+ computers with internet access. Has reference library downstairs with rows and rows of desks surrounded by books, directories and so on. Also has wide range of magazines and trade directories that you can look through. Just next door is an art gallery and a cafe which does lovely food in a really attractive environment. It also has a small gift shop where you can buy artist's work from as well as stationery, cards etc.

A good library in town with many books, papers, magazines, cds and films. They have computers that…read moreyou can use to access the internet and there is normally a queue to use these. The library is located inside the civic centre and is quite big on three floors.

I have been an active member of Highgate Library since January 1991…read more And that was when, Margaret Thatcher was still the British Prime Minister. I only live around the corner from this Camden library branch, which is Holly Lodge. And even up to this day, I will always use the services at Highgate Library, for hiring out DVDs, PC printing and the photo copy machine. And I even reserve books and DVD from Highgate Library. Highgate Library is literally right next door to Highgate Cemetery, the place of Karl Marx's tomb.

This is a very good library with something for everyone. The…read morestaff are helpful and friendly.

Fleet library is a good size. It has good facilities, including internet (free for library…read moremembers), a large selection of fiction and non-fiction books, good sized children's section and CD and DVD rental. Fleet Library is located in the Harlington Centre. There is a cafe in the Harlington Centre just outside the library. I have always found the staff friendly and helpful. The library has a relaxed atmosphere, and there are tables and sofas you can use. They also now sell soft drinks, so I guess the old rule about not drinking in libraries doesn't apply any more. The library also puts on events/workshops, particularly for children and teens.