The London Library has stood on the corner of St James’s Square since 1845 and is one of the oldest lending libraries in the world, with over 1,000,000 books available to members. Incredibly most of these books are held on site in the original purpose-built metal ‘stacks’.

Our Court Assistant Steven Whitaker is a trustee of the library and has arranged a private tour on 4 December 2025.
We will begin at 6pm with a glass or two of champagne in the famous Issue Hall before embarking at 6.30pm on a tour that covers all the major parts of the library, including the beautiful Reading Room, well-known to many literary greats over the years including Dickens, Thackeray, Forster and TS Eliot (who became President of the library in 1952). Today’s President is Helena Bonham-Carter.

All areas of the tour are accessible by lift, but there will also be a chance to ‘climb’ the stacks, for those wanting to explore the hidden depths of the library.

We will end with the chance to see a few of the most notable books in the library, hand-picked by the Head of Collections.

The tour is scheduled to finish at 7.30pm allowing you time to head off to dinner – or to Christmas parties!

Time:
6pm: Champagne
6.30pm: Tour
7.30pm: Finish

Date: Thursday 4 December

Tickets: £50
(max. 4 per person)