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The Great Britain Guide

Historic libraries · Central Scotland

Scottish Poetry Library

Modern♿ Wheelchair: limited

Scottish Poetry Library — library in Edinburgh, Scotland, UK.

Scottish Poetry Library, historic libraries in Central Scotland

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Plan your visit

Typical visit
45 min–1.5 h
Nearest railway station
Edinburgh Waverley · 0.7 km
  • Limited wheelchair access

About

Scottish Poetry Library is a historic library in the United Kingdom. Records date its origin to 1984. Address: EH8 8DT. Wikidata describes it as: "library in Edinburgh, Scotland, UK". Coordinates: 55.9514°, -3.1785°.

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From the Wikipedia article

The Scottish Poetry Library is a public library with charitable status specialising in contemporary Scottish writing in English, Scots and Scottish Gaelic. The library, which is free to join for UK residents, celebrated its 40th anniversary in 2024. The SPL houses a borrowing and reference collection of books, pamphlets and audio material. Visitors are able to browse the shelves and read in the library.

Excerpt from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0. See the source article linked in Sources below.

Background

History

The library was founded in 1984 by poet Tessa Ransford. Tom Hubbard was its first librarian. The present Director, Asif Khan, was appointed from June 2016. Khan is supported by a team of librarians and specialist staff with expertise in collections management, special projects, learning, events and communications. The SPL is a limited company with charitable status. From November 2023, its Board was co-Chaired by Claudia Daventry and Charlie Roy. The SPL has status as a Creative Scotland Regularly Funded Organisation (RFO) with a remit to support audience development, literacy through reader development and creative writing classes with diverse groups, schools and public libraries, and to…

Description

Since 1999, the library has been based at 5 Crichton's Close, just off the Canongate in Edinburgh's Old Town. The library building was designed by Malcolm Fraser Architects, and was shortlisted for Channel 4's "Building of the Year" in 2000. It has been described as "a poem in glass and stone", and was included in Prospect magazine's 2005 list of the 100 best modern Scottish buildings.

Sourced from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Coordinates
55.9514, -3.1785
Postcode
EH8 8DT
Parliamentary constituency
Edinburgh East and Musselburgh
Phone
+44 131 529 4143
Established
1984
Nearest railway station
Edinburgh Waverley0.7 km
Opening
Mo-Sa 10:00-17:00; Aug: Su 12:00-17:00

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Frequently asked questions

Where is Scottish Poetry Library?
Scottish Poetry Library is in central Scotland, United Kingdom (postcode EH8 8DT).
When was Scottish Poetry Library built?
Built or established in 1984.
How do I get to Scottish Poetry Library?
The nearest railway station is Edinburgh Waverley, about 0.7 km away. Drivers can navigate to postcode EH8 8DT.