Library, Tourist attraction
Central Library
Liverpool's Central Library joins a remodelled modern interior to the grade II listed Picton Reading Room and Hornby Library, with 15,000 rare books, archives reaching back to the 13th century and a rooftop terrace.
The story
Behind a grand, historic-looking frontage on William Brown Street, the library opens onto a modern ground floor with an atrium staircase under a skylight. Four floors of seating, free wifi, public computers, a café on the first floor and a dedicated family area make it a working library as much as a landmark, and a rooftop space with seating looks out over the city. The historic heart is the Picton Reading Room, now a quiet study space, alongside the Hornby Library, where antique books go on display. The building also holds the Liverpool Record Office and Archives, with original documents, photographs, maps and newspapers recording Liverpudlian lives across the centuries. Free events run through the year, from an exhibition on Audubon's Birds of America in the Hornby Library to crime author talks and family workshops.
Good to know
TAGGG AI- ✦The Picton Reading Room doubles as a quiet study space, well suited to reading or focused work.
- ✦Allow a couple of hours to explore the displays and history spread across the different floors.
