The idea of being on a summer cruise right now is very appealing! These stylish Cunard menu cards are from 1939, part of the Newall Dunn collection - one of the world’s most comprehensive photographic & ephemera resources for Merchant Shipping, covering about 1880 to the turn of the 21st century.

Open House 2026 🏦 Sat 19th September Drop in event - 1-4pm Anyone interested in discovering more about London's architectural history should visit Guildhall Library where an exhibition & display of books & images will take you on a journey from Norman architecture through to Brutalism. #opencity

💫 🌔🌘🌑🌒🌔💫 An eclipse is a rare and stunning celestial event that has fascinated people throughout time. These diagrams depict the occurrence beautifully over London on 14th July 1748 - 'The cause of eclipses and the motion of the earth delineated', an engraving from Universal magazine of the time.

What a difference 188 years makes... This 25-mile radius map around the capital is from ‘A New Pocket Guide to London and Its Environs’ (1838) by John H. Brady. Including ‘descriptions, from personal knowledge, of everything worth seeing or knowing within twenty-five miles of the metropolis’.

On Friday Senior Librarian Isabelle Chevallot gave a talk at the London Centre about the Great Fire of London of 1666 and how this major event affected the development of London. A display of original source materials from our collections was shown.

🌟 Welcome to Guildhall Library's new event brochure for Sept-Dec 2026! 🌟 Book through Eventbrite here: bit.ly/4wKuN7d

There are a 1000 more of these! A burst of high Victorian colour and style from 'One Thousand and One Initial Letters' (1864) by Owen Jones, recently discovered in our stores. Jones was an influential British architect, designer and colour theorist. Come and see stunning works such as this IRL! ✨

A reader recently requested materials from the Parish Clerks Company from the 1600s, including these meeting minutes. The parish clerks were originally responsible for assisting with worship & keeping church records in parishes. Now they support churches, parish history, charities & the Lord Mayor.

The number of items consulted in our reading room for June was up to 1832 in June, up from 1024 in June last year! We are so pleased that more people are coming in to use our amazing collections! Reminder that as a public library our collections are availble to everyone! No membership required!

Last week we hosted an evening Collections Focus talk ‘Our Relationship with London’s Neoclassical Architecture’ by Senior Librarian Isabelle Chevallot. Books were shown with plans & images of the work of prominent Neoclassical architects. Visit us to learn about London’s architectural history! 🏛️

As temperatures in London soar we'd like to invite you all to the visit the library which is lovely and air conditioned. Feel free to drop in to use our computers, have a quiet sit down, study or even look at some of the wonderful items in our collections. Free and open to all!

It’s getting hotter! 🌞 How about a refreshing cordial mint water? This 1736 recipe includes a healthy amount of Claret and numerous ingredients and processes. From ‘The Compleat City and Country Cook….’ Would you try making this at home? Tell us about your own homemade drink recipes.

Celebrate Pride month with us! Come and see our display of important and fascinating books on the history of LGBTQ+ Londoners. From suppressed history to Celebration, activism, and community voices. They remind us that the city’s history is incomplete without these voices. 🏳️‍🌈

Map of the City and West Central London in 1929 from the Greiben-Verlag travel guide ‘London und Umgebung, mit Insel Wight’ (London and Surroundings, with the Isle of Wight) Informative and pocket-sized for the keen traveller. 🗺️

‘Illustrations of the New Palace at Westminster’ (1849) by classical architect Charles Barry (1795-1860) Fine large scales plates of the Houses of Parliament showing views, plan drawings and details of this London landmark. Part of the London Festival of Architecture exhibition on 12th June. 🏦

It's the perfect time of year to be exploring London. 'Touring London' (1930) is a 'little book of friendly guidance' for visitors keen to see the sights. It's nice to think this was carried around by the owner enjoying a day out almost 100 years ago.🚇

London Festival of Architecture 12th June 2026 - 1 PM - 4 PM Our Relationship with London’s Historical Architecture. Drop-in event A drop-in exhibition displaying Guildhall Library's Architecture Treasures exploring London's historical heritage from Norman times to Brutalism. 🏛️ bit.ly/4drBW56

Crystal Palace lives rent free in our minds. The photographs are taken from 'Crystal Palace and district' which possibly published in 1900. The structure was built for the Great Exhibition in 1851, but moved to Sydenham Hill in 1854. Crystal Palace was later destroyed by a fire in 1936. See less

Greenwich became a popular 18th-century resort and, with sites like Greenwich Park and the Royal Observatory, remains a draw for locals and tourists. Below are illustrations from James Sansom's 1808 'Greenwich: a poem' depicting iconic views: Greenwich Park, the Royal Hospital and Lord Dacre's seat.

Why not escape the heat by visitor our new broadside exhibition? Learn all about how news, gossip, law announcements, satire, and song spread across London. But more importantly, the library has air conditioning, so you can cool off while you learn.

Today in London it's a scorching 34°C 🫠 Unfortunately, the bank holiday weekend is over and we can no longer escape to the seaside and cool off in the sea, unlike 'Mama' in the illustrations below (shelf mark: PAM 16407).

Judy, or the London Serio-Comic Journal’ (1st May 1867) was a satirical Victorian publication full of caricatures & cartoons poking fun at society. These show absurd scenes of stylish people struggling with the effects of a hairdressers’ strike & a daring young dandy's encounter with a cuttlefish.

How to make committee minutes look stylish - some vivid marbling details of the John Bankes Charity Committee Minutes 1962-1980 of the Worshipful Company of Haberdashers. The combed marbling is achieved by dragging a comb through oil-based paints floating on water, onto which the paper was laid.

🌟New exhibition!🌟 5th May until 29th October 2026 Monday-Thursday, 10am-4pm BROADSIDES: SPEAKING TO THE PEOPLE 📯 This exhibition explores the history of broadsides and how they were used to speak to the general public, high and low alike.

Drury Lane Theatre opened #onthisday in 1663 and the current building was built 1812. A Grade 1 listed building in Covent Garden hosting plays ever since. Interior view is from Rudolph Ackerman's 'Microcosm of London' 1808-11 (AN 20.1.5).

'Holidays at Home in Saint Pancras' published in 1944 (PAM 3355) was a wartime guide for public events such as fairs, markets, concerts and public services such as libraries for the public to enjoy

⭐️New exhibition!⭐️ Opens today! 5th May until 29th October 2026 Monday-Thursday, 10am-4pm BROADSIDES: SPEAKING TO THE PEOPLE 📯 This exhibition explores the history of broadsides and how they were used to speak to the general public, high and low alike.

🚨 Last chance! Today is the final day of our 600th anniversary exhibition 🚨 You can still visit us between 10am and 4pm to catch it before it closes. Thank you to everyone who has visited Guildhall Library so far—we’ve loved welcoming you!

It always interesting to see how London has changed (and stayed the same). These images are from 'The History and Antiquities of Stoke Newington' (1820) show maps, landmarks like the river and original Rose & Crown inn, and portraits of notable locals, including Daniel Defo (SL 95:8).

Our May-August events start next week 📆👀 To see our full programme you can visit Guildhall Library's Eventbrite page at: www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/guildhall-... Or pick a brochure from the library 📖