Brighton Central Library

There aren’t that many inner city libraries that lay claim to being such stylish, well-​stocked sanctuaries of calm. A few years back when I first arrived in Brighton, the area where the library now stands was a waste ground I used to park my car when I went for a swim at Prince Regents. Now I look at its modernistic spangled lines and get a real hit from appreciating at the regeneration. Those funky ergonomic benches outside with the Blade Runner-​blue lights seem to have stopped working but inside it’s still very much a fresh proposition. Loads of desks to study, a decent world cinema DVD library, a quiet room to work in, plus a great kids play area and children’s books section too at the back. The one problem is the acoustics — it would be a perfect space for theatre of music as it’s so vast and high — as such if there’s someone really noisy you all hear him.

A lovely library thats situated in what is now one of the most attractive areas in Brighton. The library itself is nice. Big, spacious and modern, its laid out nicely and finding stuff is dead easy. Its also pretty decently stocked with a wide range of material from different subjects. However, the real attraction is the courtyard outside, a great place to relax and read your latest find.