Free Places to Study in London: 20 Quiet Libraries & Coworking Spots

A local’s guide to the best free places to study in London and work with WiFi – quiet libraries and free coworking spaces for students and digital nomads!

While I’ve recently shared with you my mega guide to over 100 best cafes to work in London, one thing’s true: most people living in London do so on a budget.

Whether you’re a freelancer, a digital nomad or a student, you might be tight on money and looking for only, completely, free places to study in London, or work with WiFi and power outlets.

Free Places to Study in London: 20 Quiet Libraries & Coworking Spots

So here we are: in this guide, you’ll find almost two dozen quiet study spots, amazing libraries and free coworking spaces.

All you have to do is literally motivate yourself to get out of the house, settle down, and start working.

Just so we’re clear: there are only completely free work spots in this guide.

I deliberately didn’t include ‘free coworking spaces’ that still ask you to order, even just a coffee, because I know that often, even just a coffee is more than we can afford.

You can directly jump to the section you’re interested in with the links below:

Free coworking spaces in London
Free libraries in Central London
Other free libraries to study in London

The Best Free Coworking Spaces in London

Best Free Coworking Spaces in London: Peckham Levels

Peckham Levels is one of the most underrated free places to study in London, similar to the Barbican Centre or the Southbank Centre.

Come early in the morning and during the week, as Peckham Levels is primarily an arts and events venue, and it gets crowded at weekends because the spot houses lots of event spaces and restaurants.

I’m the kind of person who needs at least some background noise to work properly, and if you’re the same, you might very well enjoy working there.

Quiet Study Spaces in London: Southbank Centre, Royal Festival Hall

The Southbank area, between the London Eye and London Bridge, literally has it all; one of its true highlights is the Southbank Centre.

You can choose to work in the foyers at the Royal Festival Hall, or in the Poetry Library on the fifth floor – just note that there are very few power outlets in the large space at street level.

However, I’ve already seen people often even just read or type away on their laptop while sitting on the floor, too.

During the summer, if you come early enough, you may even get some good work done al fresco on the free rooftop garden at the Queen Elizabeth Hall!

Best Free Coworking Spaces in London: Camden Collective

Not far from Camden Town Station, the Camden Collective is a charity focused on offering free hotdesking space for freelancers and start-ups to help them develop their businesses.

You will not pay a dime there, and if you want that feeling of working in a coworking space with shared office space, that’s really one of the best options you have here.

In exchange for the free WiFi, free kitchen, free meeting rooms, workshops and event spaces, the Camden Collective asks for each of its members to spend two hours working for them to help develop the charity.

Two hours seems like a very short amount of time when you know you’re going to have a free coworking space in London 24/7, so if you’re more coworking space than library, that’s one to mark down.

The Best Free Libraries in Central London

Free Libraries in London To Study: Wellcome Collection Library, Euston Road

The Wellcome Collection Library is part of the Wellcome Collection museum, one of the most interesting museums in London, and revolves around health and body matters.

The interior is stunning, carefully curated, and anyone can come and study there.

The Wellcome Collection Library has free WiFi and power outlets, and we’re located really close to both Tottenham Court Road and a gorgeous little hidden gem, the St Pancras Church caryatids.

Read my guide to the St Pancras New Church on Euston Road to discover its beautiful caryatids, sculptures and secret garden.

Best Free Libraries in London To Study: BFI Reuben Library, Southbank

The BFI Reuben Library is located on the South Bank, and is part of the British Film Institute, which means that the collection there mainly revolves around filmography and cinematographic topics.

You have to fill in a form before visiting and using the study spaces, but it’s completely free and can be done on the spot.

It’s just so the library ensures everyone has a fair chance of using the study spaces, and the venue remains quiet.

Quiet Free Places to Study in London: British Library, King’s Cross

The British Library is undoubtedly one of the best libraries in London when you’re looking for a very spacious yet quiet spot to work on your papers, articles, or degree.

You’ll find lots of study-abroad students working there on a daily basis, and with its archive rooms, countless power outlets and even coffee shops, the British Library really has that vibe.

The only downside? You’ve really got to come as soon as the doors open: I remember one Sunday, when the queue in front of the library was meters long!

Free Places to Study in London: Westminster Reference Library, Central London

If you find yourself close to Covent Garden, Trafalgar Square or Piccadilly Circus, you may want to check out the Westminster Reference Library.

It’s one of the most beautiful libraries in London, with stunning mahogany stairs and a very instagrammable interior.

It’s really awe-inducing, spacious, and you can get lots of work done in this atmospheric spot.

Quiet Free Places to Study in London: John Harvard Library, London Bridge

The John Harvard Library is one of the other underrated free spots I want to tell you about; it’s located on Borough High Street, near The Shard and London Bridge Station.

It’s not the biggest library at all, but there are power outlets embedded on the tables, free WiFi, and the Mouse Tail Coffee at the entrance is a great little coffee shop for fresh, homemade pastries.

The Best Free Libraries in London to Study

Quiet Free Places to Study in London: Coombes Croft Library, Tottenham, North London

I first found out about the Coombes Croft Library in Tottenham, on the High Road, when I moved to this part of North London.

I couldn’t believe no one had ever told me about this library; you’ve got a few good tables, free WiFi, power outlets, and it’s empty most of the time.

Best Places to Study in London: Swiss Cottage Library, North West London

Close to West Hampstead and Finchley Road, the Swiss Cottage Library is one of the biggest and quietest libraries I’ve worked at in London.

If you’re down to really grind for hours, take the Jubilee Line to Swiss Cottage and settle at one of the large tables, for the most part often unoccupied.

Quiet Free Places to Study in London: Barbican Library, City of London

The Barbican Library is located inside the Barbican Centre, in Central London, and I feel it’s one of the very best free places to work in London if you like having that artistic atmosphere around you.

The Barbican Centre has lots of exhibitions going on all the time and admission is free to all, with longer opening hours on Tuesdays and Thursdays (from 9.30 am to 7.30 pm). It’s also open on Sundays.

Some parts of the Barbican Centre, if you choose not to work inside the library, are a little bit too dim-lighted for me.

However, in the summer, if you don’t need power outlets, you can also read or do some work outside, facing the artificial lake and St Giles Cripplegate.

Best Free Libraries to Study in London: Bethnal Green Library, East London

Then, and way too underrated, is the gorgeous Bethnal Green Library, which you can see as soon as you get out of Bethnal Green Station.

It’s a really local public library, much less frequented than the likes of the BFI Reuben Library or the British Library closer to King’s Cross.

It’s spacious, has WiFi, plenty of seats and heating, and since it was opened in 1922, the Bethnal Green Library still has the original hall and pretty dark bricks.

Colorful Brick Lane is only 15 minutes away, if you’d like to relax after your work day, and we’re on the grounds of the Bethnal Green Gardens, where you can also chill at lunch and after work.

Best Free Libraries in London To Study: Wood Green Library, North London

If you’re ever looking for free places to study in London on a Sunday, then Wood Green Library is it.

Located close to the Mall, the library is not famous at all, but if you live in the area, you can also get a free library card and borrow books, CDs and DVDs.

When I started building up my first website, which doesn’t exist anymore, I spent countless hours in the Wood Green Library.

There are lots of power outlets, free WiFi, and it’s really one of the least frequented libraries you could come across in the city.

Best Free Libraries in London To Study: Islington Central Library, North London

You may start noticing a pattern; I indeed think some of the best libraries to work are located in North London.

The Islington Central Library on Fieldway Crescent, just off Holloway Road, is a personal favorite as well; the interior is gorgeous, and there are lots of power outlets and various rooms to work from.

It’s as quiet as libraries get, and close to the Islington Central Library, you’ve got lots of charity shops on nearby Holloway Road, Finsbury Park and down the road towards Seven Sisters.

Quiet Free Places to Study in London: Bishopsgate Library, Liverpool Street

If you’re find yourself around Liverpool Street and Old Spitalfields Market, then you’re close to the Bishopsgate Library.

It’s free to enter and work there, and doesn’t look that big from the outside, but it’s a stunningly quiet study spot.

The Bishopsgate Library was opened in 1895, and it’s not only beautiful, but filled with collections on social matters, labor and women’s history, just seconds from Eataly, a huge Italian supermarket.

Free Places To Work in London: N4 Library, Finsbury Park, North London

The N4 Library in Finsbury Park, down the road from Seven Sisters and Manor House, is located in the same building as the City & Islington University, so there are students nearby at every hour of the day.

Twice a week, on Mondays and Wednesdays, the N4 Library closes at 8 pm, so you can really get some good work done there since it opens every day at 9.30 am.

There’s free WiFi and power outlets on the tables, and the N4 Library is almost always very empty, which means you can study without being interrupted.

Quiet Free Places to Study in London: Kensington Central Library, West London

The Kensington Central Library is one of the largest, and best free libraries in London to study if you’re looking for to anchor your study day into an ancient setting.

That atmosphere of old studies is exactly what I need on some days when I really cannot focus and need a peaceful vibe to start writing.

I promise you’ve never seen a library that quiet, that large, and that vintagely beautiful in any other country.

Free Places To Study in London: Peckham Library, South East London

We talked about Peckham Levels earlier; now on to Peckham Library in South East London – it’s definitely, truly, a beautiful spot to work, both inside and outside.

There, you’ll find lots of tables to work at, and you will see people working on their laptops as soon as you enter.

There is free WiFi in the library, as well as power outlets perfect if you’re planning to spend the day studying in the library.

Free Places to Study in London: V&A National Art Library, South Kensington

The National Art Library at the Victoria and Albert Museum is a little trickier to visit, at least the first time.

You do indeed have to register as a reader before you can work there, and you can do it online (however, you need personal ID and proof of address).

The National Art Library is open on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays.

There are some rules to follow when visiting the National Art Library to study; you can’t bring anything other than your work supplies. No food, and no drinking once you’re in the library.

However, if you’re looking for big free libraries in London to study, it’s definitely made for people motivated enough to work all day long.

Best Free Places to Study in London: Idea Store (Various Locations)

There are a few Idea Store libraries in Tower Hamlets in East London, which include the one in Whitechapel, as well as another one on Chrisp Street, and one in Canary Wharf.

I like the library in Whitechapel, where I’ve worked a few times, and if you’re closer to Canary Wharf, the Idea Store is located inside the shopping center and has great opening hours.

You’ll be able to work there from 9 am to 9 pm from Monday to Thursday, with shorter opening times on Friday and on weekends.

You’ll also find lots of people already typing away on their laptops, studying their notes and books, and what’s best than a quiet library to be super productive with work?