Stockwell Street Library

The library at Greenwich's Stockwell Street sits inside the university campus, but you don't need to be a student to wander in and use it. It's a proper modern facility - all glass and open shelving, with a decent range of books and an awful lot of computers. The space feels more like a contemporary study hub than a traditional library, which works well if you're after somewhere quiet to settle in for a few hours.

You'll find yourself here if you're the type who needs a refuge from sightseeing. It's genuinely free to use the public areas, and the opening hours are generous - open until midnight on weekdays if you really need to hunker down with research or work. Families with teenagers doing coursework will find it useful, as will anyone holed up nearby who wants to escape their accommodation. The WiFi is solid, there's plenty of desk space, and it doesn't have that oppressive silence some libraries enforce.

The location, near Abbey Wood, puts it on the southeast edge of Greater London. Not somewhere you'd travel across the city for in itself, but if you're staying at Abbey Wood Experience Freedom Glamping - that's about five and a half miles away - and need a comfortable spot to read or get things done, it's worth knowing about. Don't expect the grandeur of a Victorian reading room; this is utilitarian and it does the job well.