Skip to main content
The leaning tower of Pisa made from blue illustrations collaged together
View all events for category: Literature & poetry

Poetry Buildings

Thu 12 Mar 2026 – Sun 10 Jan 2027

Come along to see a group exhibition by visual poets and artists exploring the relationship between poetry and buildings.

More details for National Poetry Library, Level 5, Blue Side, Royal Festival Hall

Spanning millennia, the exhibition features work from the ancient eras to the concrete poetry movement of the 1950s, to some of the most exciting voices writing and making today.

Need to know

Age guidance
For ages 16+

Times & tickets

Dates & times
Thu 12 Mar 2026 – Sun 10 Jan 2027
Tue, 12 noon – 6pm
Wed – Sun, 12 noon – 8pm
Closed Monday

Standard entry
Free – no ticket required

Make a donation
Person on stage holding a microphone in front of a full Queen Elizabeth auditorium. Plants in the foreground.

Make a donation

Help us open up the arts to everyone by making a one-off or recurring donation.

For your visit

This event is held at the National Poetry Library Southbank Centre

The National Poetry Library is open six days a week.

Tuesday, 12 noon – 6pm
Wednesday – Sunday, 12 noon – 8pm
Monday, closed.

A row of colourful lockers in rainbow order View larger image
NPL staff members sat behind the Welcome Desk in the library View larger image
Speaker stood at a yellow podium performing in the National Poetry Library to an audience in front of colourful lockers View larger image
A reading section with red and yellow cushions and chairs View larger image
A locker handle with 3 prongs View larger image
A tour leader speaking to a group of people in the National Poetry Library View larger image
The interior of a library with book shelves, desks and chairs View larger image

Getting here

The National Poetry Library is on Level 5 of our Royal Festival Hall.

Our address is Southbank Centre, Belvedere Road, London, SE1 8XX.

The nearest tube stations to us are Waterloo and Embankment; Waterloo is also the nearest train station. And more than 20 different London bus routes pass within 500 metres of our venues.  More information on getting here by rail, road or river is available on our Getting here page.

We’re cash-free

Please note that we’re unable to accept cash payments across our venues.

 

Access

We’re working hard to remove barriers, so that our facilities and events can be accessible to as many people as possible.

All help points, toilets, performance and exhibition spaces at the Southbank Centre are accessible to all, as are the cafes, bars and restaurants. We also have excellent public transport links with step-free access. 

All information about booking wheelchair spaces, step-free access, blue badge parking, access maps and guides and other help available whilst you’re here, including details about our Access Scheme, can be found on our Access page.

 

Study & library use

The library is London’s only space dedicated to poetry study. Visitors studying another subject or looking for a place to work are kindly asked to find an alternative space in the Royal Festival Hall.