Do you know about the British Film Institute (BFI) Southbank’s Mediatheque?
Only a select group of Londoners have discovered the joys of this cool little spot, tucked inside the shiny glass buildings on Belvedere Road.
Why visit?
So what is it, exactly? In short, a room lined with viewing stations where you can watch a huge range of titles from the national film archive, completely free.
Got a few hours to spare and want to settle in and watch something a bit different? The booths each come with their own screen, headphone jack and speakers, giving you access to the digitised BFI National Archive. Some hold multiple people, others are for solo watchers, either way, it’s an easy way to while away a morning or afternoon. Best of all, you no longer need to book ahead, it’s walk-in only these days, so you can turn up on spec.
Looking for more ideas for the South Bank? Check out our guide to things to do on the South Bank.
What’s available to watch?
As you’d imagine, the archive is vast, over 180,000 titles have now been digitised and are available at the booths, up from around 85,000 when we first covered this place.
Period dramas, old classics, silent films, documentaries, there’s very little that doesn’t make an appearance in one form or another. What’s more, the collection keeps growing as more of the archive is digitised.
Go for British film classics like Hitchcock’s The 39 Steps, dip into the collection of clips dating back to the Victorian and Edwardian eras, or take the opportunity to get nostalgic and binge-watch a few of your favourite children’s TV programmes of yesteryear.
Did we spend a whole afternoon watching an old-school version of Wuthering Heights? Of course we did.
The London x London Take: the fact that you can walk in and watch genuinely rare, unrepeated archive television for free, no booking, no membership, no catch, is the kind of thing that should be far better known than it is. Most people who’ve heard of BFI Southbank have never set foot in the Mediatheque.
Practical information
Address: Belvedere Road, South Bank, London SE1 8XT
Site: www.bfi.org.uk
Opening hours: Tuesday to Sunday, 11am to 9pm. Closed Mondays, except bank holidays.
Tickets: Free, no booking required, just turn up.
