Welcome to the National Poetry Library
Spend time among the stacks in our sanctuary for lovers of poetry.
Housing the world’s largest public collection of modern poetry, the National Poetry Library, on Level 5 of the Royal Festival Hall, is free to join.
Renew loans
Renew loans via our EOS platform.
Join free
Join the library free and access over 250,000 of items in our collection.
On now and upcoming
This will pull in events taking place at NPL automatically
Our collection
The library holds more than 200,000 items and is growing all the time. Our collections include books, magazines, audio recordings and children’s books, providing a valuable resource for poets, academics, schools and families.
Search the collection
Find material for both reference and loan via our EOS platform.
Borrowing ebooks
Browse ebooks and audiobooks available to members anywhere in the UK.
Join & Visit
Join the National Poetry Library for free to gain access to the largest public collection of modern poetry in the world.
Schools & Families
If you write poetry and want help to develop your work or get some ideas of where to get it published, we have plenty free-to-access information to point you in the right direction.
Write & Publish
If you write poetry and want help to develop your work or get some ideas of where to get it published, we have plenty free-to-access information to point you in the right direction.
Explore poetry
Online poetry
Want to discover new poetry? Search our free online poem collection, curated by specialist poetry librarians
Projects & Exhibitions
View the different ways we explore poetry
Our collections
View the different ways we explore poetry
For your visit
National Poetry Library Southbank Centre
The National Poetry Library is open six days a week.
Tuesday, 12 noon – 6pm
Wednesday – Sunday, 12 noon – 8pm
Getting Here
The National Poetry Library is on Level 5 of our Royal Festival Hall.
Getting here
Our address is Southbank Centre, Belvedere Road, London, SE1 8XX.
The nearest tube stations to us are Waterloo and Embankment; Waterloo is also the nearest train station. And more than 20 different London bus routes pass within 500 metres of our venues. More information on getting here by rail, road or river is available on our Getting here page.
We’re cash-free
Please note that we’re unable to accept cash payments across our site.
Access
We’re working hard to remove barriers, so that our facilities and events can be accessible to as many people as possible.
All help points, toilets, performance and exhibition spaces at the Southbank Centre are accessible to all, as are the cafes, bars and restaurants. We also have excellent public transport links with step-free access.
All information about booking wheelchair spaces, step-free access, blue badge parking, access maps and guides and other help available whilst you’re here, including details about our Access Scheme, can be found on our Access page.
Food & drink
On Level 2 of our Royal Festival Hall you can grab a slice of life by the Thames with drinks and freshly made pizza at our Festival Bar & Kitchen which opens out onto our Riverside Terrace. You can grab a coffee and a slice of freshly made cake from our Ballroom Cafe. Or alternatively enjoy destination dining in the restaurant at Skylon.
From coffee to cocktails, filling favourites to fine dining, plus some of London’s best street food – it’s all here at the Southbank Centre.
