Au contraire, Liz. The British Library does NOT stick out. A large part of the above-ground development has been given over to a vast patio area, so that the main building itself is set far back from the buildings around it, maybe 50 metres or more. King's Cross, by the way, is not behind it. The mock Gothic extravaganza of St Pancras is beside it, and King's Cross is on the other side of St Pancras. The extensive use of red brick was chosen to help harmonise with the immediate surroundings, not least St Pancras.

I'm not sure what the over-time and over-budget points have got to do with architectural design, but who says it's "a bastard to supervise"? I'm not sure what you mean by "supervise" anyway, but I've heard Lynne Brindley herself, no less, say the building is a pleasure to work in. As for being too small, it seems to have no difficulty in accommodating the world's biggest combined collection of books, including nearly all the books ever published in the UK (growing at a rate of 100,000 a year) and millions more from around the world - and retrieving them for researchers, usually within an hour or two.

I suspect you have not made much use of this facility. I use it frequently and would say that from the user's point of view too, it is a pleasure to work in. Overwhelmingly the researchers and students I see there (very many from overseas) regard both the building and its contents as a wonderful resource. In years to come it will be a fine example of what was created in the UK in our lifetimes, as will the Lloyds building. Rather that legacy than that we leave behind nothing but unimaginative rehashes of bygone styles.