Guildhall Library
A free reference library in the heart of the City, specialising in the history of London, where anyone can handle centuries-old books and maps without an appointment.
FREE
The lowdown
The Guildhall Library has been lending and lending out knowledge in the City of London since 1425, and the modern free reference library that carries the name is one of the best places anywhere to dig into the history of London. Anyone can walk in, no appointment and no charge.
Its collections are extraordinary, centuries of books, maps, prints and trade records covering every corner of the city, plus specialist holdings on subjects from clocks to the Worshipful Companies. The staff will bring rare and old material to your desk to handle, which is a quietly thrilling free thing to do.
It sits right beside the Guildhall and its free art gallery and Roman amphitheatre, so a morning here can take in a working historic library, City paintings and a two-thousand-year-old arena, all for nothing.
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