Our reading rooms, exhibitions, shop and café are free to visit and open to all between Tuesday and Saturday. Our building opens to visitors at 09:00, until the reading rooms close (Sunday times differ). Our exhibitions, café and shop are also open on the first Sunday of the month, between 11:00 and 16:00.
We’re usually closed for bank holiday weekends (including the Saturday), but we’re making an exception for the early May bank holiday weekend – we’ll be open on Saturday 30 April and Sunday 1 May between 11:00 and 16:00 (exhibitions, café and shop only, our reading rooms will be closed).
We’ll be closed for the entire Platinum Jubilee bank holiday weekend (Thursday 2 June to Sunday 5 June).
Reading rooms and document ordering
| Reading rooms | Documents can be ordered between | |
|---|---|---|
| Tuesday | 09:30 to 19:00 | 09:30 to 16:00 |
| Wednesday | 09:30 to 17:00 | 09:30 to 15:30 |
| Thursday | 09:30 to 19:00 | 09:30 to 16:00 |
| Friday | 09:30 to 17:00 | 09:30 to 15:30 |
| Saturday | 09:30 to 17:00 | 09:30 to 15:30 |
Our other services
Our café is open between 09:00 and 16:00 Tuesday to Friday, on Saturday between 09:00 and 15:00 and the first Sunday of the month between 11:00 and 15:00.
Our shop is open between 10:00 and 17:00 Tuesday to Saturday, and the first Sunday of the month between 11:00 and 16:00.
Our car park is open from 08:00 and closes 30 minutes after our building.
Closure dates
All dates listed below are inclusive.
- Easter: Friday 15 April to Monday 18 April (closing at 17:00 on Thursday 14 April)
- Spring bank holiday and Platinum Jubilee bank holiday: Thursday 2 June to Sunday 5 June
- Summer bank holiday: Saturday 27 August to Monday 29 August
- Christmas 2022: Saturday 24 December to Wednesday 28 December
- New Year’s Day 2023: Saturday 31 December to Monday 2 January