We’re thrilled the exhibition has been so popular because it’s another step towards making the British Library’s collections more accessible to people outside London, but also because it’s been an opportunity for libraries to showcase some spectacular hidden gems from their stacks that library staff have been excited to discover and library visitors have been keen to see and share. The most popular livestream in the series was Women, Witches, Witch Trials, which was screened live by 7 libraries and watched by over 280 people outside London - a new record for the Living Knowledge Network.

an exclusive story-telling event in partnership with Bloomsbury called Beasts Among the Bookshelves.

talks from high-profile speakers such as Jim Kay and Olivia Lomenech-Gill speaking on their experiences illustrating the Harry Potter books.live-streamed Hogwarts Curriculum Lectures from experts in magical territories including astronomy, herbology and divination.Harry Potter Quiz Nights in association with Pottermore.The visitor figures are astounding: over 170,000 visitors in London, and over 775,000 people visited the regional displays, including 50 schools visits, and over 14,000 people attended events linked to the exhibition.

Visitors and what they saw Visitors in Newcastle central library. 500 physical items were showcased in total, some of which went on display to the public for the very first time such as rare books Theatrum Botanicum, The Botanical Register and Astronomical Observations in Exeter, a botanical collection dating back to the 15th century in Leeds, and some articles from the occult collection in Glasgow. Most libraries also displayed amazing items from their own collections, celebrating the magical and historical roots in each local area. Rowling and Bloomsbury’s own collections. The specially-designed panel displays, themed around the subjects studied at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, featured images of some of the rare books, manuscripts and magical objects featured in the British Library’s exhibition in London, as well as images of material from J.K.

Linda at the British Library with a copy of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s stone. Rowling, the British Library and the Living Knowledge Network launched the largest ever national exhibition of its kind in the UK: Harry Potter: A History of Magic.ĭisplays launched simultaneously in 20 public libraries across the country in tandem with the main exhibition at the British Library in London, and between 20 October 2017 and 28 February 2018 the displays toured a total of 40 libraries, from big cities to small towns, across England, Scotland and Northern Ireland. On 20 October 2017, to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the publication of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone by J.K.

Harry potter exhibition british library