I’ve been thinking and writing about the Bloomsbury Group recently. My route to research and rummage through the British Library archives has involved a walk through Bloomsbury, the part of town the group once inhabited. References to the famous members can be spotted in the area, normally in the form of an unenthusiastic sign naming a block of flats after Virginia Woolf.
Something about Bloomsbury has always caught my eye and inspired my mind. It’s the place I rediscovered the city as an adult, going to free evening LSE lectures the summer after I finished university. To be honest, I didn’t really take away a lot from most of those lectures; I think I was trying to find a way to keep learning now that university had finished.
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| Photo by Craig Whitehead on Unsplash |
Even though I can’t tell you what the lectures were about, I can tell you how Bloomsbury felt. The streets felt full of possibility, not too busy yet dotted with people walking with purpose. Some people played tennis in Lincoln's Inn Fields after work. It didn’t ignite a desire for me to grab a racket but it did show me that London wasn't the rat race I’d heard about. People didn't flee the city at the earliest opportunity after the bell rings. They hang around, play sports, get pissed: they live their lives.
A florist with a beautiful window display sticks in my mind. It’s now located on the other side of the Kingsway opposite the Freemason’s Hall, which is seemingly populated with old men in suits shuffling in and out with briefcases. I say ‘now located’ but really I have no idea as the streets were like a maze to me. It was probably over that side of the Kingsway all along. I didn’t have any grounding or landmarks that helped me understand where the heck I was, and so everything felt like a secret discovery that could only be refound by accident.
With time and a smartphone (thank goodness for Google maps 🙌🏼), the maze has turned into a map and this part of the city is no longer a mystery. I’ve found favourite places and secret spaces where I can sit and type. They’re not necessarily the places with the best coffee or cakes to risk diabetes for, but they’re the places that let my mind run free for a while.
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Curzon Bloomsbury Cafe
Yep, it’s a cinema. Yep, I’m surprised, too. Located in the modernist Brunswick Centre, the Curzon’s cafe occupies a glass box which is quiet enough to concentrate but with enough people walking past to distract your eyes whilst you do a bit of thinking. As it’s a cinema, the cafe doesn’t get too busy during the day so you won’t have to worry about stretching one coffee to last an hour. One of the best spots is at a table running down the side of the staircase.
11:00 - 21:15, Monday - Sunday, depending on listings
Curzon Bloomsbury, The Brunswick Centre, London, WC1N 1AW
Nearest tube: Russell Square
The British Library, Humanities I
Is it in Bloomsbury? Probably not, but I think it counts. You have to register at the library to use the reading rooms, so check out their website to find out what you need to do this. Once you’re registered, check your belongings at the cloakroom or in the locker room. You’ll need to transfer your laptop, phone, notebook, and a pencil into one of the clear plastic bags they provide. If, like me, staying hydrated is overly prominent on your daily to-do list then fear not. You can’t take water in to the reading rooms but they have relatively hygienic water fountains dotted around outside the reading rooms.
Humanities I is my favourite reading room: high ceilings, clean lines, and a beautifully soft diffused light filling the space. I find it reassuring to be working alone in a room full of strangers, all working on their own projects, together in singular endeavours.
9:30 - 20:00 Monday - Thursday, 9:30 - 18:00 Friday, 9:30 - 17:00 Saturday, 11:00 - 17:00 Sunday
British Library, 96 Euston Road, London, NW1 2DB
Nearest tube: Euston, Euston Square, King’s Cross St. Pancras
Pret a Manger, Russell Square
Okay, so it’s not that original. They say you’re always 9 metres away from a rat in London, and probably a Pret too. They dot many a street corner and although they don’t have that special feeling, they are both good and consistent. This one is populated by students from the nearby universities who take advantage of the long opening hours and cheap and fresh food. It’s a big branch and I’ve always been fine getting a table, even during busy hours. As there are lots of people working on essays or group projects, you won’t feel out of place sticking around for a while.
5:30 - 23:00, Monday - Sunday
Pret A Manger, 40 Bernard St, Bloomsbury, London, WC1N 1LE
Nearest tube: Russell Square
Great Court Restaurant, British Museum
The restaurant’s located right at the top of the circular block in the atrium of the museum, where the light has a beautiful soft diffusion (there’s a theme here). Although it’s a restaurant, it’s normally quiet if you head here near the end of the afternoon, meaning you can sit a while in peace. They try and flog you cake at every opportunity as technically it’s the afternoon tea sitting, but if you stay strong you can happily sit with a coffee and a notebook.
15:00 - 17:30, Monday - Sunday
British Museum, Great Russell Street, London, WC1B 3DG
Nearest tube: Nearest tube: Goodge Street, Holborn, Russell Square, Tottenham Court Road
Store Street Espresso
The coffee shop is located on one of my favourite streets in London. It has a magical quality at dusk, with the pretty shop facades and amber lights flickering on. This coffee shop is the perfect set up for laptop types: a counter at the front with small, uniform tables lining each wall in a neat rows at the back. This branch opens early and closes relatively late-ish, so is handy if you’re in Bloomsbury outside of the normal busy times.
7:30 - 19:00 Monday - Friday, 8:00 - 18:00 Saturday, 10:00 - 17:00 Sunday
Store Street Espresso, 40 Store Street, London, WC1E 7DB
Nearest tube: Goodge Street, Holborn, Russell Square, Tottenham Court Road