Ightham Mote (pronounced 'Eye-tum Moat') is one of my favourite spots to take friends and visitors…read more The setting, on a hot summer's day, is just perfect: you approach through a lovely, quiet valley (astonishingly so, given how close you are to London), and suddenly, there is a beautiful 14th Century Manor-House, set in a wide moat, surrounded by delightful gardens. The house itself dates from 1320, with additions dating to around the early 1500's. Set around an internal courtyard, features include the original 14th century Great Hall, Old Chapel, Crypt, and a Tudor chapel with a painted ceiling, with motifs reflecting the marriage of Catherine of Aragon to Henry VIII. The house features classic overhanging Tudor wooden-framed walls. The gardens are small but delightful, but the parkland around is very extensive (over 500 acres - 200 hectares). There are both cycle-ways and marked foot-paths around the estate for the more energetic visitor. Being owned by the National Trust, there is an excellent small shop and cafe, with details on accessibility on its web-site.

This is a charming historical building and gardens. Dating back to the 13th century, it reflects…read morethe layers of renovation over the ages all on top of the original 'bones'. It also has a wonderful feel to it of a house someone really lived in, as opposed to a cold museum. Oh, and be sure not to miss the painting of the house and moat by Winston Churchill in the library! The gardens are also lovely, small scale, with some very pretty topiary. All this is set into the background of the moat, which provides a cool feel on a warm summer day. The cafe is also nicely run with a good selection of fresh items for lunch or snack. All in all, a very worthwhile stop!!

As a history buff, avid reader, and past library fundraiser, there is no way I could skip a visit…read moreto the British Library. We enjoyed roaming the floors during an unexpected rain shower, and enjoyed all the historical tomes exhibited here. We did not sign up for cards, and therefor did not get to explore the rooms or stacks, but we did enjoy our walk around. During college (as a history major), it was frequently joked that you haven't really researched in a library if you haven't wound up making out in the stacks... well, after a day of research, I enjoyed some fun pictures and 'making out' with my husband, making this a thoroughly educational stop in our London adventure.

Would definitely recommend checking out the British library at least once! It's a beautiful…read morebuilding with a lot of bookd and exhibits, as well as a little coffee shop. If you plan on seeing any of the actual exhibits or checking out the areas that actually house the books, you'll need to sign up for one of their cards. I also can't really imagine getting much work or studying done here. It can be pretty difficult to find a seat and it's so loud and busy that you may be better off going somewhere else.

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.

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

I think the main library in Chelmsford is excellent. It has a very good selection of books, audio…read morebooks, cd's and dvd's. I use it all the time. I also order a lot of items online and if the Chelmsford library does not have a copy of an item then one is sent from another library in Essex at no charge - brilliant. They did have a coffee shop which I thought was a good idea but it has closed - I guess it did not do enough business.

Helpful staff are always at hand in the store offering help to customer queries. The library has a…read morebroad range of books available in when not in stock there is a free reservation service where a book can be sent from another library in Essex for free to a library of your choice. I have often used this service and the books are shipped very quickly. The library has a large number of computers available for the public to use, but unfortunately you can only use them for up to an hour each day. I recommend booking these in advance as the bookings fill up a few days in advance. The cd selection is very broad and at small cost they can be borrowed for up to three weeks. Dvds are also much cheaper to borrow here than at other dvd borrowing stores.

The Charing Cross Library is on the intersection between Covent Garden, Chinatown and Trafalgar…read moreSquare. It is part of the borough of Westminster and so open its residents, though you can request books for other libraries. The entrance to the building is quite discreet. The library itself is arranged across two floors. On the ground floor are books and DVDs. On the first floor are more books and the computers. The library has a decent fiction section and is notable for its large selection of Chinese language books. Charing Cross library is a small place but does a good job in trying to serve the interests of its community. It is worth visiting, particularly if you are looking for a Chinese language reading book.

This is my local library at work. What distinguishes this library from others is that it stocks a…read morehuge selection of books in Chinese. It also has a lot of manga/comic books, although these are in English and not in Chinese (unfortunately for me, because I am used to reading them in Chinese! Japanese translates better into Chinese than English!) There are two floors, a good selection of books, and they even sort the books into newly arrived, books you should read etc. near the door which I appreciate very much when I am just browsing for a new author. There are computer desks upstairs for use, and mainly reference books and language books there. Stocked downstairs are the Chinese books, Sci Fi/Fantasy/Crime and Children's books. The staff are quite nice and helpful in general, some staff can speak Chinese, of which I'm sure the Chinese community are very appreciative. The book reservation service is also very efficient. They sort it by name and stack the reserved books on a shelf so you can use the self check-out to borrow books. Yes, they have state of the art machines there, doesn't that make you just want to come and visit?

If you are a book worm and love the warm inviting smell of old books lining wooded shelves you have…read moreto visit the Rochester library ..it looks ancient within and so so inviting with nice comfy seats scattered everywhere within the 3-4 rooms where the books live. The lighting is mellow and I can absolutely lose contact with the world sitting with a book inside this library. They have a very good collection of multi-cultural books and dvd's. The laibrarians like the libaray are soft spoken and helpful and do a good job of keeping the library thus well maintained.

Adrian Harrington stocks rare and other antique books, prints and maps in this delightful little…read moreshop which is a treat to wander through. Books run the gamut, but they specialise in gorgeous leatherbound editions and literature including Sherlock Holmes and James Bond (some signed), as well as music, film and pop culture and my favourite, children's literature. While a first edition set of Alice in Wonderland books will run you £6,750 and a leather-bound first edition of Pride & Prejudice is yours for £45,000, not all come so prohibitively: a first UK edition of Roald Dahl's Charlie & The Great Glass Elevator (no, not the Chocolate Factory) is a mere £45.

From the owner: Adrian Harrington Rare Books deal in a wide selection of literature, modern first editions, leather…read morebound library sets, children's and illustrated books and fine and rare antiquarian and old books in all fields. We also offer a full and expert bookbinding and restoration service.