Bromley House Library

01/09/2026

Exciting News! We have been awarded an Archives Revealed Grant from The National Archives and we cannot wait to share the stories, secrets and information our archive holds. What's Behind the Door? will give never before access to the archive for our members, researchers and wider general public - telling our story through new interpretation, tours, engagement activities and exhibitions. More updates soon, as this has only just been announced!
Read more here

Cataloguing Grants Awarded 2026 Bromley House Library – £46,335 Project – WHAT’S BEHIND THE DOOR? Unlocking 270 years of history from the Archive at Nottingham’s hidden library Bromley House Library’s archive is a rare example of a continuously operating subscription library. It contains ...

29/08/2026

Tickets are now available for the Wading Through Treacle Poetry Masterclass with Paul Farley on Thursday 24th September at 2.30, Bromley House Library. See below for more details.

Tickets are available on our What's On pages at bromleyhouse.org

Poets are often asked: Where do your poems come from? How do they first see the light of day? And poets have often responded with all manner of rationales, rules of thumb, anecdotes and origin myths in the hope of making useful sense of it all—or blooms of chaff meant to deflect from what they consider to be an unanswerable question. But there is one form of hard evidence: drafts. What can drafts tell readers—and their original authors—about how a poem emerged and how it found its feet?

In this masterclass, Paul will share the trail of drafts that led to a single poem, along the way considering some of the intersecting forces that are in play when working with words. It also offers a chance for participants to discuss Paul’s approach to the art more generally, and to share their own experiences of working with drafts.
This Masterclass is for poets with some experience, ideally for those whose work has appeared in magazines, pamphlets or books.

This event takes place before the Desert Island Poems event as part of the Inspire Poetry Festival where Paul will be in conversation with our Library Director Clare at West Bridgford Library, also on 24th September, at 6.30pm. See our previous post for more details.

29/08/2026

Join our Library Director Clare in conversation with acclaimed poet Paul Farley as part of the Inspire Nottinghamshire Libraries 2026 Poetry Festival. The headline event 'Desert Island Poems' is taking place at West Bridgford Library on Thursday 24th September at 6.30pm.

Find the full festival details at the Inspire website:
https://www.inspireculture.org.uk/whats-on/events/inspire-poetry-festival-2026/

Tickets are also available to join Paul Farley's poetry masterclass at Bromley House Library on Thursday 24th September at 2.30pm. Find out more and book at:
https://www.eventim-light.com/uk/a/638cf86b7e8bfe52ae3fd363/e/6a6211744418ad0203757f4c

26/08/2026

We will be closed for August Bank Holiday on Monday 31st August and Tuesday 1st September.

We re-open on Wednesday 2nd September at 9:30am and are open as usual on Saturday 29th August.

We wish you all a great long weekend!

25/08/2026

Happy Nottinghamshire Day!

To join in with celebrations across our county, here are a few interesting things about our hidden gem, Bromley House Library, in Nottingham city centre.

1. Bromley House Library played a key role in the pioneering years of photography in Nottingham, housing the first photographic studio in the Midlands.

2. In our collection we have 4 volumes of the Herbarium created by Thomas Jowett, containing plants collected and mounted between 1821 and 1824. One of the plants held inside is the once extinct Nottingham Catchfly, now growing in our Georgian garden. We sell Nottingham Catchfly seeds too.

3. Our children’s library holds a secret Narnia wardrobe with a snowy mural scene and a cosy window seat for reading about faraway lands and magical creatures.

4. Before time was measured globally, the meridian line in Bromley House Library was laid down so that the clocks could be set to Nottingham Time. Did you know that when it’s noon in London, it’s actually 11.56am in Nottingham?

5. Brilliant Nottingham born mathematician and physicist George Green joined Bromley House Library in 1823. Green’s mathematics are still used today by scientists and engineers all over the world.

Come and see some of these fantastic features by booking a History Tour. Find out more at https://www.eventim-light.com/uk/a/638cf86b7e8bfe52ae3fd363

20/08/2026

Are you a published poet and do you want to hone your craft? Join acclaimed poet, author and broadcaster Paul Farley at this Masterclass where he will drill down into drafts....what can drafts tell readers and the author about how a poem emerged and found its feet?

In this masterclass, Paul will share the trail of drafts that led to a single poem, along the way considering some of the intersecting forces that are in play when working with words. It also offers a chance for participants to discuss Paul’s approach to the art more generally, and to share their own experiences of working with drafts.

Thursday 24th September 2.30pm - 4pm. £25.

Click on the link below - spaces are going fast.....be quick!
https://www.eventim-light.com/uk/a/638cf86b7e8bfe52ae3fd363/e/6a6211744418ad0203757f4c

10/08/2026

Thank you to Joe Locker at Nottingham Post for the great article about the once extinct Nottingham Catchfly plant, now growing in the Bromley House Library garden.

Read the full article at https://tinyurl.com/BHCatchfly where our Development Manager Matt explains more about the plant itself, its historical connection to the library and the city and the benefits of growing it today.

04/08/2026

Some great new fiction that members will find on our shelves soon, including some of the The Booker Prizes longlisted titles The Shadow of the Object by Chloe Aridjis, Helen of Nowhere by McKenna Goodman, the End of Everything by , The Renovation by kenan-orhan , May We Feed the King by Rebecca Perry Rebecca Perry and All Them Dogs Djamel

27/07/2026

NOW FULLY BOOKED - If you would like to be added to the waiting list for this event, please e-mail [email protected]

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Kids are taking over one of Nottingham's most intriguing historic spaces this Heritage Open Day!

We have the last few tickets left for our family themed day on Sunday 13th September. Read on to find out more and for booking details.

This year we're opening our doors to children to explore the building and get hands on with heritage activities. It is free to attend but booking is essential.

Dating back to 1752, the Grade II* listed Bromley House sits in the heart of Nottingham city centre. Home to our lending library since 1821, the building is full of historic charm, with reading rooms packed full of original architectural features.

Activities on the day are aimed at children aged 4-12. During your timed slot (approximately 45 minutes) kids can get hands on at our 'conservation station', meet our conservators, and help to clean some of our dusty rare books. In the children's reading room, they'll go 'through the wardrobe' to visit Narnia! There'll also be a stop off in our Photographic Studio to capture their portrait and create a 'Victorian' carte de visite. Weather permitting, after your timed slot, there will be a kids' trail and other activities to enjoy in the walled garden.

Please note that this event is for children and their grown-ups, and children must be accompanied by a responsible adult at all times. Please book a ticket for each child attending (there's no need to book additional tickets for accompanying adults, maximum of two adults per child please!)

Book tickets at https://tinyurl.com/bhlhod2026

Accessibility information:
Access is via several flights of stairs and steps, and regrettably we have no level access or lift. If you have any queries regarding access for this event please contact the library direct on 01159 473134 or e-mail [email protected]


Heritage Open Days Visit Notts