About us
Idea Stores are more than just a library or a place for learning. As well as library services, they offer a wide range of adult learning courses and an extensive activities and events programme.
Idea Store Bow, Canary Wharf, Chrisp Street, Watney Market and Whitechapel:
Tuesday 24 December: 9am – 1pm
Bethnal Green and Cubitt Town Library:
Tuesday 24 December: 10am - 2pm
All Idea Stores and Libraries:
Wednesday 25 December: CLOSED
Thursday 26 December: CLOSED
Idea Store Whitechapel and Idea Store Chrisp Street only:
Friday 27 December: 10am-4pm
Saturday 28 December: 9am-5pm
Sunday 29 December: 11am-3pm
Monday 30 December: 10am-4pm
Tuesday 31 December: 10am-4pm
Wednesday 1 January: CLOSED
Idea Store Bow, Idea Store Canary Wharf, Idea Store Watney Market, Bethnal Green Library and Cubitt Town Library CLOSED from Wednesday 25 December to Wednesday 1 January 2024 included.
View Local History Library and Archives Christmas opening hours.
Normal opening hours will resume from Thursday 2 January
Opening hours
Idea Store Bow, Idea Store Canary Wharf, Idea Store Chrisp Street, Idea Store Whitechapel and Idea Store Watney Market are open the following hours:
| Monday | 9am - 9pm |
|---|---|
| Tuesday | 9am - 9pm |
| Wednesday | 9am - 9pm |
| Thursday | 9am - 9pm |
| Friday | 9am - 6pm |
| Saturday | 9am - 5pm |
| Sunday | 11am - 3pm |
Opening hours
Bethnal Green Library and Cubitt Town Library are open the following hours:
| Monday | 10am - 6pm |
|---|---|
| Tuesday | 10am - 6pm |
| Wednesday | 10am - 6pm |
| Thursday | 10am - 8pm |
| Friday | CLOSED |
| Saturday | 9am - 5pm |
| Sunday | CLOSED |
The Idea Story
Idea Stores are more than just a library or a place of learning. As well as the traditional library service, they offer a wide range of adult education classes.
Small electrical item recycling
Small portable items such as kettles, small toasters and mixers, cameras, hairdryers, irons, electric toothbrushes, small toys, cables, and chargers can be recycled in bins at all Idea Stores and libraries.
Recycling bags
Waste services are currently reviewing and looking to improve the arrangements for the delivery of recycling sacks to residents. This review will also look at the allocation of recycling sacks from Idea Stores.
- If you live in a house or flat above a shop without a purple bin: clear sacks will be delivered to you twice a year
- If you live in a block of flats: you don’t need sacks to recy-cle. Please empty your recycling directly into the purple communal bins loose.
- If you live in a house or house converted into flats with a purple bin: you don’t need sacks to recycle. Please empty your recycling into the bins loose.
Limited supplies of sacks are still available from Idea Stores and libraries over the next weeks. Further information on this will follow in due course.
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Contact us
If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please don't hesitate to get in touch with us. We value your feedback and look forward to hearing from you!