What are the opening hours?

Monday 9:30am - 8pm Tuesday 9:30am - 8pm Wednesday 9:30am - 8pm Thursday 9:30am - 5:30pm Friday 9:30am - 5:30pm Saturday 9:30am - 5:30pm

The London Library

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The London Library

Around one million books, 17 miles of open-access shelves and over 180 years of history.

28/08/2026

A long weekend calls for a good book. 📚

Whether you're staying close to home or heading further afield, make some time for reading this Bank Holiday weekend. Our shelves are full of stories, ideas and new discoveries waiting to be found.

What's on your reading list?

26/08/2026

Which four books does critically acclaimed novelist Sebastian Faulks treasure? Discover his recommended reads and add them to your reading list in time for the long weekend. 📚

📖 Decline of the English Murder and Other Essays by George Orwell
📖Naples'44 by Normal Lewis
📖The Rachel Papers by Martin Amis
📖The Origin of Consciousness by Julian Jaynes

All available to browse and borrow from our collection.

19/08/2026

The Library will be closed all day on Friday 21 August.

Associate members are welcome to visit the building during opening hours on any day during the week commencing 17 August.

The Library building will be closed, but members can still use Catalyst to find and request books and access our huge collection of eResources.

Learn more via our latest news on londonlibrary.co.uk. Link in bio. 📚

18/08/2026

How many books can you borrow at The London Library? 📚

As an individual annual member, you can borrow up to 15 books at a time, more than the standard borrowing allowance at most libraries. Most books can be kept for at least a month and will renew automatically, unless another member requests them.

Prefer to read from home🏡? Our postal loans service makes it possible to borrow books by post. Simply purchase a postage voucher from Reception or our online shop.

Become a member today to access our collection of almost 1 million books.

11/08/2026

Looking for your next summer read? 📚

Take a look at the new and newly returned titles in the Issue Hall – there’s plenty to discover.

Why not pick up a new book for the summer?☀️

05/08/2026

A quiet corner. A desk by the window. A few uninterrupted hours to focus. 📚

Find your serene place to work in the Reading Rooms, surrounded by the quiet hum of ideas and the inspiring atmosphere of The London Library.

31/07/2026

Did you know that the floors of the toilets in TS Eliot House were designed by Turner Prize-winning British artist Martin Creed?

Commissioned in the mid-2000s as part of a redevelopment project, Creed created a unique design for each tile, using marble and materials sourced from around the world. No two tiles are the same.

It’s one of the many details waiting to be discovered at The London Library – a place where inspiration can be found around every corner, alongside around one million books and 17 miles of shelving.

Become a member and see what you might find.

20/07/2026

With our unique classification system and 17 miles of open shelves, you never know what you might discover at The London Library.

Since 1841, our collection has inspired 185 years of serendipitous discovery for readers, writers and thinkers.

14/07/2026

Last week, we were delighted to welcome writers and publishing professionals to the Library for an evening exploring the intricacies of the submission process to publishers, in partnership with Byte the Book.

Hannah Chukwu, Publishing Director of Dialogue Books, literary agent Julia Silk from Greyhound Literary, and publishing polymath Scott Pack joined Byte the Book Director Justine Solomons to share expert insights into submitting to agents, what publishers are looking for and the behind-the-scenes processes of the industry.

Thank you to our speakers and everyone who joined us to make connections and consider the next step in their writing journey.

08/07/2026

On 2 July, Library Vice-Presidents Dame Caroline Michel and Sir Tim Rice hosted our 2026 Summer Party for supporters of the Library.

With a theme of ‘(Lily the) Pink’, our atmospheric Reading Room was a sea of blush, peony and coral. The jubilant mood continued with a summery selection of poetic and dramatic readings by Sir Tim, Dame Harriet Walter, Allie Esiri, Jeanette Winterson, and Roger McGough, as well as performances by vocal quartet Cantabile.

This annual event celebrates and thanks the vibrant community of people who support The London Library, as we are a registered charity and receive no public subsidy.

Address

14 St James's Square
London
SW1Y4LG

Opening Hours

Monday	9:30am - 8pm
Tuesday	9:30am - 8pm
Wednesday	9:30am - 8pm
Thursday	9:30am - 5:30pm
Friday	9:30am - 5:30pm
Saturday	9:30am - 5:30pm

Website

http://www.londonlibrary.co.uk/

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