About
Bath Royal Literary and Scientific Institution (BRLSI), founded in 1824, is a place where science, literature and the arts come together to fire up imaginations and showcase amazing collections of treasures from around the world.
BRLSI is an independent charity that exists to promote a world of culture to Bath and its surrounding areas, and through the power of digital technology, the wider world. It is a non-profit organisation and provides world-class lectures for as little as £4.00 a ticket.
Not only that, BRLSI provides a community hub to a host of smaller cultural societies who use its building to meet, delivers an amazing programme of family activities, and maintains a rich geographical and ethnological collection of world renown and importance.
For further news of BRLSI's events and activities, sign up to the venue's 'Weekly What's On' newsletter at https://www.brlsi.org/whats-on-events/weeklynewsletter/.
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Facilities
Other
- Step-free access to all or most areas: There is step-free access to all or most areas. This may include access by ramp or lift. As a minimum, there is step-free access to an accessible toilet and at least one food and beverage outlet, where available.
Establishment Features
- Event Venue
GENERAL
- Assistive listening system: There is an assistive listening system available e.g. a hearing loop.
- Disability awareness / equality training: Disability awareness / equality training is provided for staff.
- Wheelchair-accessible toilet in public areas: A designated accessible toilet designed for wheelchair users, and others with visible and non-visible accessibility requirements, is available within the main public areas.
Key Features
- In town/city centre
- No Smoking Attraction
PARKING
- Designated accessible parking: Designated accessible parking is available within 50 metres of the main entrance or an alternative step-free entrance if applicable.
Parking & Transport
- Parking (charge) - Charlotte Street Pay and Display Car Park Nearby.
Show Facilities
Opening Times
| Opening (1 Jan 2026 - 31 Dec 2026) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Day | Times | |
| Monday - Saturday | 10:00 | - 16:00* |
| Sunday | Closed* | |
Events
Saturday, 28th March 2026 - Saturday, 26th September 2026
Worlds Apart: Rare Early Photographs of China & Bath at BRLSIExplore the rare & wonderful collection of 19th century photographs in this free BRLSI exhibition.
- more info
Monday, 14th September 2026 - Monday, 14th September 2026
The Uses of Utopia, From Plato to the Present at Bath Royal Literary and Scientific InstitutionDiscussing Utopia as both a literary genre and a way of thinking- more info
Tuesday, 15th September 2026 - Tuesday, 15th September 2026
Democracy, liberalism, capitalism: the triad unravelling at Bath Royal Literary and Scientific InstitutionAre the foundations of the Western world unravelling?- more info
Tuesday, 15th September 2026 - Tuesday, 15th September 2026
Who would marry Mr Collins? Jane Austen's Clergymen and Their WivesIn Pride and Prejudice, Charlotte Lucas famously does - but was becoming a clergyman's wife really such a bad bargain? Mary Crawford obviously thinks so.- more info
Thursday, 17th September 2026 - Thursday, 17th September 2026
Strike a light! John Walker & the friction match Mike J Pryor at Bath Royal Literary and Scientific InstitutionHow a chemist from Stockton-on-Tees lit up the world with his invention – includes a short film- more info
Friday, 18th September 2026 - Friday, 18th September 2026
Debbie Harry: Blondie & Beyond at Bath Royal Literary and Scientific InstitutionThe world knows Debbie Harry as the platinum blonde fronting the New Wave band Blondie. But behind the peroxide, there is a darker side to Debbie Harry that she has explored in music, in film, and in print.- more info
Saturday, 19th September 2026 - Saturday, 19th September 2026
Stanza 25 – an afternoon of good poetry at Bath Royal Literary and Scientific InstitutionListen to the work of the Stanza 25 group of poets as they present an enjoyable & challenging afternoon of readings and presentations based on their engagement with traditional and contemporary poetry.- more info
Wednesday, 23rd September 2026 - Wednesday, 23rd September 2026
Good Vibrations: From Cell Phones to Quantum Computing at Bath Royal Literary and Scientific InstitutionThis talk will examine how these ideas can be extended to enable new quantum devices and discuss some problems that can be addressed using them.- more info
Monday, 28th September 2026 - Monday, 28th September 2026
Mr B's Event with Nick Hayes at Bath Royal Literary and Scientific InstitutionMr B's is thrilled to welcome award-winning writer, illustrator and land justice campaigner, Nick Hayes to Bath for his new book, The Medicine Tree.- more info
Wednesday, 30th September 2026 - Wednesday, 30th September 2026
Sir Stewart Eldon: the rules-based order at Bath Royal Literary and Scientific InstitutionSir Stewart Eldon, the UK's former Permanent Representative to NATO explores how we best safeguard a rules-based international order.- more info
Saturday, 3rd October 2026 - Saturday, 3rd October 2026
Eric Walrond: from the Harlem Renaissance to Bradford on Avon at Bath Royal Literary and Scientific InstitutionDiscover the incredible journey of Eric Walrond – the man who saw the Panama Canal built, welcomed the Empire Windrush, was part of the social scene with Louis Armstrong and Josephine Baker… and lived and worked near Bath, where he continued to be an eminent literary figure.- more info
Monday, 5th October 2026 - Monday, 5th October 2026
The Road to Trafalgar at Bath Royal Literary and Scientific InstitutionPart of BRLSI's Destination Trafalgar Nelson Series.- more info
Saturday, 10th October 2026 - Saturday, 10th October 2026
Barchester Towers by Anthony Trollope at Bath Royal Literary and Scientific InstitutionA discussion about one of Trollope's best-loved works.- more info
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