The Wellcome Library Reading Room

The Wellcome Library Reading Room

Museum and library exploring health and human experience

The second floor of the Wellcome Collection, packed with squishy floor cushions and hanging copper lamps, is the most relaxing location in the capital to learn about medical history. The mezzanine library houses scientific treasures, including an Ancient Egyptian medicine and the papers of scientist Francis Crick, free of charge for all who sign up for membership. The Reading Room below, meanwhile, is a wonderland of cosy research rooms and exhibitions in galleries where you can enjoy games and listen to poetry readings.

A pioneering 19th-century pharmacist, Sir Henry Wellcome, amassed a large and idiosyncratic array of medical trading instruments and curiosities, now exhibited here. In addition to these interesting and frequently grisly objects-ivory carvings of pregnant women, guillotine blades used the toothbrush of Napoleon-there are many serious pieces of contemporary art, most of them on display in a smaller space on one side of the main curiosity chamber.

Sometimes the temporary exhibits are brilliant and come with all sorts of relevant experiences, from discussions to hikes. In addition to two modern galleries and the stunning Reading Room, which is a blend of library, gallery and event space, a £ 17.5 million renovation programme opened up even more construction areas to the public.