At the heart of the British Library is a monumental column made of glass and bronze, which contains the original collection of King George III. It comprises nearly 64,000 printed books, 14,000 pamphlets, manuscripts and maps from the mid-15th to early 19th centuries. The entire collection would take one person 219 years to read, assuming they read a book a day!  

Previously homed by the British Museum, this collection was moved to the Library in 1998. An awe-inspiring piece of architecture, the column is six stories high and soars upwards from the basement – it's so big that it takes a team of two around 35 hours to clean in its entirety. Made from specialist panels mixed with ‘intumescent’, the column's exterior swells up when confronted with fire, protecting the precious contents within for up to 120 minutes. 

The British Library has evening event spaces right next to this iconic piece of history. Create wow-factor at your next dinner in the King’s Library Gallery or host a party or drinks reception in the Upper Gallery, where your guests can enjoy astounding views of the Library’s crowning jewels. To add a unique touch to your event, you can also include a tour of the building for your guests, where they’ll get to learn more about the building’s intriguing history, and the wonder of its various collections.  

Contact the team directly at centraleventsteam@bl.uk, or head to the website to learn more.