Seven Stories, The National Centre for Children's Books

About Seven Stories, The National Centre for Children's Books

Seven Stories is the National Centre for Children's Books, and the only museum in Britain dedicated wholly to the art of writing and illustrating for children. It occupies a tall Victorian mill and warehouse building on Lime Street in the Ouseburn Valley, the old industrial quarter just east of the city centre that has become Newcastle's studio and music district. The conversion kept the building's stacked floors and exposed structure, and the name comes from its seven storeys. As well as galleries it holds a growing archive of original manuscripts, artwork and working material from British authors and illustrators, which researchers can consult and which supplies the changing exhibitions.

For visitors, and particularly for families, the appeal is that the books come off the page. Exhibitions are built around characters and illustrations children already know, with dressing-up, drawing and making spaces alongside the displays, and there is a bookshop and a café. Entry to the exhibitions and gallery spaces is free, with optional paid storytimes, workshops and performances bookable in advance, plus school visits and birthday parties. Manors and Byker Metro stations are each about ten minutes' walk, and there is parking on Lime Street and in the Ouseburn car parks. Parts of the building have been undergoing renovation, so it is worth checking opening arrangements before travelling.

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