London Library

Library in/near St James’s, existing between 1845 and now

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August
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The London Library is an independent lending library in London, established in 1841.

It is located at 14 St James’s Square, in the St James’s area of the City of Westminster, which has been its home since 1845.

The London Library was founded on the initiative of Thomas Carlyle, who had been dissatisfied with some of the policies at the British Museum Library. Membership is open to all, on payment of an annual subscription, and life and corporate memberships are also available.

T.S. Eliot, a long-serving President of the Library, argued in an address to members that, "whatever social changes come about, the disappearance of the London Library would be a disaster to civilisation".

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Main source: Wikipedia
Further citations and sources



NEARBY LOCATIONS OF NOTE
Café Royal The Café Royal - now a five-star hotel at 68 Regent Street - was, before its conversion to a hotel, a notable restaurant.
Leicester Square Leicester Square, while indeed a square, is also the name for a tube station.
Piccadilly Circus Piccadilly Circus was built in 1819 to connect Regent Street with the major shopping street of Piccadilly.
Royal Institution The Royal Institution of Great Britain (Royal Institution) is an organisation for scientific education and research, based in the City of Westminster.
Royal Society The Royal Society is a self-governing Fellowship of many of the world’s most distinguished scientists drawn from all areas of science, engineering and medicine.
St James’s St James’s is an exclusive area in the West End of London.
Wyld’s Great Globe Wyld’s Great Globe was an attraction situated in Leicester Square between 1851 and 1862.

NEARBY STREETS
Academy House, W1S Academy House is located on Sackville Street
Air Street, SW1Y Air Street was the most westerly street in London when newly built in 1658 (Piccadilly Circus)
Air Street, W1B Air Street’s name is believed to be a corruption of ‘Ayres’, after Thomas Ayre, a local brewer and resident in the 17th century (Soho)
Albany Courtyard, SW1Y The courtyard is named after Prince Frederick, Duke of York and Albany, who in 1791 purchased Melbourne House which stood on this site (St James’s)
Albany, W1B The Albany is an apartment complex in Piccadilly, established in 1802 (Mayfair)
Albemarle Street, W1S Albemarle Street takes its name from the second Duke of Albermarle, son of General Monk (Green Park)
Ambassador’s Court, SW1A Ambassador’s Court is a block on Ambassador’s Court (St James’s)
Ambassador’s Court, SW1A Ambassador’s Court is part of the St James’s Palace complex (St James’s)
Angel Court, SW1Y Angel Court is named after a long demolished inn of this name (St James’s)
Apple Tree Yard, SW1Y Apple Tree Yard is thought named after the apple trees formerly to be found here (St James’s)
Arlington House, SW1A Arlington House is now part of an exclusive residential development (St James’s)
Arlington Street, SW1A Arlington Street is named after Henry Bennet, 1st Earl of Arlington, 17th century statesman and local landowner (St James’s)
Ashburton Place, W1J Ashburton Place connects Clarges Street and Bolton Street
Babmaes Street, SW1Y Babmaes Street was originally called Wells Street (St James’s)
Barlow Place, W1S This is a street in the W1J postcode area
Bear Street, WC2H Bear Street is a streetname with two possible derivations (Leicester Square)
Bennet Street, SW1A Bennet Street lies off St James’s Street (St James’s)
Bennett House, SW1A Bennett House is located on Bennet Street (St James’s)
Berkeley House, W1J Berkeley House is a block on Hay Hill (Mayfair)
Berkeley Street, W1J Berkeley Street runs from Piccadilly to Berkeley Square (Green Park)
Birkett House, W1S Birkett House is a block on Albemarle Street (Mayfair)
Blue Ball Yard, SW1A Blue Ball Yard is first mentioned in 1672 when its site was sold by King Charles II (St James’s)
Bolton Street, W1J Bolton Street runs from Curzon Street in the north to Piccadilly in the south (Mayfair)
Bridgewater House, SW1A Bridgewater House is a block on Cleveland Row (St James’s)
Broughton House, W1S Broughton House is located on Sackville Street (Piccadilly Circus)
Bruton Lane, W1S Bruton Lane is a road in the W1S postcode area
Burlington Arcade, SW1Y Burlington Arcade is a covered shopping arcade, 179 metres in length, that runs from Piccadilly to Burlington Gardens. (St James’s)
Burlington Gardens, W1J Burlington Gardens, with houses dating from 1725, was laid out on land that was once part of the Burlington Estate (Mayfair)
Bury Street, SW1A Bury Street runs north-to-south from Jermyn Street to King Street, crossing Ryder Street (St James’s)
Canada House, SW1A Canada House is a Greek Revival building situated on Trafalgar Square (Charing Cross)
Carlton Gardens, SW1Y Carlton Gardens was developed before 1832 (St James’s)
Carlton House Terrace, SW1Y Carlton House Terrace consists of a pair of terraces - white stucco-faced houses on the south side of the street overlooking St James’s Park (St James’s)
Catherine Wheel Yard, SW1A Catherine Wheel Yard is named after an inn that stood on this site until it burnt down in 1895 (St James’s)
Charles II Street, SW1Y Charles II Street is named for the ’Merry Monarch’ (St James’s)
Chatham House, SW1Y Chatham House is a building on St James’s Square (St James’s)
Church Place, SW1Y Church Place was named after the adjacent St James’s Church, Piccadilly (St James’s)
Cleveland Row, SW1A Cleveland Row – after Cleveland House (now Bridgwater House), named for Barbara Palmer, 1st Duchess of Cleveland who lived there in the late 17th century (St James’s)
Cleveland Yard, SW1Y Cleveland Yard is now the site of Cleveland Place (St James’s)
Clifford Street, W1S Clifford Street is one of the streets of London in the W1S postal area
Clydesdale Bank House, W1J Clydesdale Bank House is a block on Piccadilly (Piccadilly Circus)
Coach And Horses Yard, W1S Coach And Horses Yard is one of the streets of London in the W1S postal area (Mayfair)
Cockspur Court, SW1A Cockspur Court runs west for a short section from Spring Gardens (Charing Cross)
Cockspur Street, SW1A Cockspur Street is possibly after the cock fighting that formerly occurred here, cocks often having spurs attached to their feet during fights (Charing Cross)
Colette House, W1J Colette House is a block on Piccadilly (St James’s)
Cork Street, W1S Cork Street, on the Burlington Estate, was named after Richard Boyle, 3rd Earl of Burlington and 4th Earl of Cork
Coventry Street, W1D Coventry Street is a short street connecting Piccadilly Circus to Leicester Square. On the London Monopoly board, it was named after the politician Henry Coventry, secretary of state to Charles II (Leicester Square)
Crown Passage, SW1A Crown Passage is thought to be after a former tavern of the name (St James’s)
Dalmeny Court, SW1Y Dalmeny Court is a block on Duke Street (St James’s)
Denman House, W1J Denman House is a block on Piccadilly (Piccadilly Circus)
Denman Street, W1J Denman Street - formerly Queen Street - was named after Dr Thomas Denman midwifery pioneer in 1862 (Piccadilly Circus)
Devonshire House, W1J Devonshire House is a block on Piccadilly (St James’s)
Dover Street, W1J Dover Street is notable for its Georgian architecture as well as the location of historic London clubs and hotels (Green Park)
Dudley House, SW1A Dudley House is situated at 169 Piccadilly (St James’s)
Duke Of York Street, SW1Y Duke Of York Street runs between Jermyn Street and St James’s Square (St James’s)
Duke Street St James’s, SW1Y Duke Street St James’s is named after James II, Duke of York when the street was built and brother to Charles II, king at the time (St James’s)
Eagle Place, SW1Y Eagle Place lies off Piccadilly (Piccadilly Circus)
Egyptian House, W1J Egyptian House is a block on Piccadilly (St James’s)
Empire House, W1J Empire House is a block on Piccadilly (St James’s)
French Railway House, SW1Y French Railway House occupies 178-180 Piccadilly (St James’s)
Glasshouse Street, W1B Glassmaking or Salt Petre manufacturing took place here from the 1670s (Soho)
Gossard House, W1S Gossard House is a building on Savile Row
Grafton Street, W1J Grafton Street is the name for the northern end of Dover Street (Mayfair)
Ham Yard, W1D Ham Yard was the yard behind a 17th century pub called ’The Ham’ (Soho)
Hammersley House, W1B Hammersley House is a block on Warwick Street (Soho)
Hay Hill, W1S Hay Hill is one of the streets of London in the W1J postal area (Mayfair)
Haymarket House, W1D Haymarket House is a block on Shaver’s Place (Piccadilly Circus)
Haymarket, SW1Y Haymarket – site of a former market selling hay until the 1830s (St James’s)
Heddon Street, W1B Heddon Street is one of the streets of London in the W1B postal area
Heddon Street, W1B Heddon Street is a road in the W1S postcode area (Soho)
Hobhouse Court, WC2H Hobhouse Court is named after Sir John Cam Hobhouse, Victorian MP and arts patron (Leicester Square)
Huguenot House, WC2H Huguenot House is a block on Panton Street (Leicester Square)
Irving Street, WC2H Irving Street is named after Henry Irving, the popular Victorian actor (Leicester Square)
Jermyn Street, SW1Y Jermyn Street is the main east-west road of St James’s (St James’s)
King Street, SW1Y King Street leads from St James’s Street to St James’s Square (St James’s)
Kinnaird House, SW1Y Kinnaird House is a block on Pall Mall (St James’s)
Landsdowne Row, W1J Landsdowne Row is one of the streets of London in the W1J postal area (Mayfair)
Lansdowne House, W1J Lansdowne House is a block on Berkeley Square (Mayfair)
Lansdowne Row, W1J Lansdowne Row is one of the streets of London in the W1J postal area (Mayfair)
Leicester Place, WC2H Leicester Place leads north from Leicester Square (Soho)
Leicester Square, WC2H Leicester Square is a central tourist attraction of London (Leicester Square)
Leicester Street, SW1Y Leicester Street was named after Robert Sidney, 2nd Earl of Leicester, who purchased land in 1630 and erected a house (Leicester Square)
Lisle Street, W1D Lisle Street leads east from Wardour Street (Soho)
Little St James’s Street, SW1A Little St James’s Street is a turning off of St James’s Street proper (St James’s)
Lower James Street, W1B Lower James Street leads southeast out of Golden Square (Soho)
Lower John Street, W1B Lower John Street is the southwest exit of Golden Square (Soho)
Lower Regent Street, SW1Y Lower Regent Street is the name for the part of Regent Street which lies south of Piccadilly Circus (St James’s)
Malta House, W1J Malta House is a building on Piccadilly (Piccadilly Circus)
Marlborough Road, SW1Y Marlborough Road was named after the adjacent Marlborough House, built for Sarah Churchill, Duchess of Marlborough in 1711 (St James’s)
Masons Yard, SW1Y Mason’s Yard was named for the local 18th century victualler Henry Mason (St James’s)
Mayfair Place, W1J Mayfair Place runs behind Devonshire House (Green Park)
New Burlington Mews, W1B New Burlington Mews is one of the streets of London in the W1B postal area (Soho)
New Zealand House, SW1Y New Zealand House is a block on Haymarket (St James’s)
Nightingale House, W1J Nightingale House is a block on Curzon Street (Mayfair)
Norris Street, SW1Y Norris Street – after Godfrye Norris, local leaseholder in the 17th century (Piccadilly Circus)
Nuffield House, W1J Nuffield House is located on Piccadilly (St James’s)
Oceanic House, SW1Y Oceanic House is a block on Pall Mall East (Charing Cross)
Old Bond Street, W1J Old Bond Street was named for Sir Thomas Bond, a property developer from Peckham who laid out a number of streets in this part of the West End (Green Park)
Old Burlington Street, W1J Old Burlington Street connects Burlington Gardens and Clifford Street
Orange Street, WC2H Orange Street gets its name from William III, Prince of Orange - the reigning king when the street was built. (Leicester Square)
Ormond Yard, SW1Y Ormond Yard was named after James Butler, 1st Duke of Ormonde, who owned a house next to this yard in the 17th century (St James’s)
OverSeas House, SW1A OverSeas House is a block on Park Place (St James’s)
Oxendon Street, W1D Oxendon Street, after Sir Henry Oxendon, husband of Mary Baker, daughter of Robert Baker who built the former Piccadilly House nearby (Leicester Square)
Pall Mall East, SW1A Pall Mall East is an eastern extension of Pall Mall towards Trafalgar Square (Charing Cross)
Pall Mall, SW1Y Pall Mall was laid out as grounds for playing pall mall in the 17th century (St James’s)
Panton Street, SW1Y Panton Street was named after Colonel Thomas Panton, local property dealer of the 17th century (Leicester Square)
Park Place, SW1A Park Place is named after nearby Green Park (St James’s)
Piccadilly Arcade, SW1Y Piccadilly Arcade runs between Piccadilly and Jermyn Street (St James’s)
Piccadilly Circus, W1J Piccadilly Circus was laid out by John Nash in 1819 (Piccadilly Circus)
Piccadilly Place, SW1Y Piccadilly Place is an alleyway leading to Vine Street (Piccadilly Circus)
Piccadilly, SW1Y Piccadilly is one of the main London streets (St James’s)
Piccadilly, W1J Piccadilly is a major road in the West End (Green Park)
Pickering Place, SW1A Thought to be the smallest public open space in London, Pickering Place is perhaps most famous for being the location of the last public duel in England (St James’s)
Pickering Place, SW1Y Pickering Place is London’s smallest square (St James’s)
Pollen Street, W1S Pollen Street is one of the streets of London in the W1S postal area
Princes Arcade, SW1Y Princes Arcade, built 1929–33, was named after the former Prince’s Hotel, which stood here (St James’s)
Quadrant Arcade, W1B Quadrant Arcade - part of a shopping centre - is named after the Quadrant to the south of Regent Street (Soho)
Red Wolf House, W1J Red Wolf House is a block on Bolton Street (Green Park)
Regency House, W1B Regency House is sited on Warwick Street (Soho)
Rex House, SW1Y Rex House is a building on Regent Street (St James’s)
Rose and Crown Yard, SW1Y Rose and Crown Yard was probably named after a former inn of this name (St James’s)
Royal Arcade, W1S Royal Arcade is an alleyway of exclusive shops (Mayfair)
Royal Opera Arcade, SW1Y Royal Opera Arcade was originally part of an opera house theatre, built by John Nash (St James’s)
Royalty House, W1S Royalty House is a block on Sackville Street (Mayfair)
Rupert Court, W1D Rupert Court was named for Prince Rupert of the Rhine, the First Lord of the Admiralty when the court was built in 1676 (Soho)
Rupert Street, W1D Rupert Street – after Prince Rupert of the Rhine, noted 17th century general and son of Elizabeth Stuart, daughter of King James I (Soho)
Russell Court, SW1A Russell Court is named after the Russell family, who lived here in the 1600s (St James’s)
Ryder Street, SW1A Ryder Street was named after Richard Rider, Master Carpenter to Charles II (St James’s)
Ryder Yard, SW1Y Ryder Yard was named for Richard Rider, Master Carpenter to Charles II (St James’s)
Ryger House, SW1A Ryger House is located on Arlington Street (St James’s)
Sabadell House, SW1Y Sabadell House is a block on Pall Mall (St James’s)
Sackville Street, W1B Sackville Street runs north from Piccadilly (Mayfair)
Samuel House, SW1Y Samuel House is located on St Alban’s Street (St James’s)
Savile House, W1J Savile House is a block on Berkeley Street (Green Park)
Savile Row, W1S Savile Row is known worldwide for gentlemen’s tailoring (Mayfair)
Scandia House, W1S Scandia House is a building on Albemarle Street (Green Park)
Sherwood Street, W1B Sherwood Street is ultimately named for Francis Sherard, a Pulteney lessee (Piccadilly Circus)
Spencer House, SW1A Spencer House is a block on St James’s Place (St James’s)
St Alban’s House, SW1Y St Alban’s House can be found on Haymarket (St James’s)
St Albans Street, SW1Y St Albans Street was named after Henry Jermyn, 1st Earl of Saint Albans, 17th century politician and local landowner (Piccadilly Circus)
St James’s Market, SW1Y St James’s Market was part of the site of St James’s leper hospital in the Middle Ages, named after James, son of Zebedee (Piccadilly Circus)
St James’s Chambers, SW1Y St James’s Chambers is a block located at 9 Ryder Street (St James’s)
St James’s Place, SW1A St James’s Place runs west from St James’s Street (St James’s)
St James’s Square, SW1Y St James’s Square is the only square in the district of St James’s (St James’s)
St James’s Street, SW1A St James’s Street is a main road of the West End running from Pall Mall to Piccadilly (St James’s)
St Martins Street, WC2H St Martins Street is one of the streets of London in the WC2H postal area (Leicester Square)
Stable Yard Road, SW1A Stable Yard Road leads from The Mall to Clarence House (St James’s)
Stafford House, W1S Stafford House is sited on Stafford Street (Green Park)
Stafford Street, W1S Stafford Street is named after Margaret Stafford, partner of developer Sir Thomas Bond who built on this site in the seventeenth century. (Green Park)
Standbrook House, W1S Standbrook House is a block on Old Bond Street (Green Park)
Stratton House, W1J Stratton House is a block on Stratton Street (Green Park)
Stratton Street, W1J Stratton Street forms an L shape between Piccadilly and Berkeley Street (Mayfair)
Suffolk Place, SW1Y The Earl of Suffolk (Thomas Howard) was the reason for the naming of Suffolk Place (St James’s)
Suffolk Street, SW1Y Suffolk Street was named after Thomas Howard, Earl of Suffolk, who owned a stable yard attached to Northumberland House which lay on this site (St James’s)
Swallow Street, SW1Y Swallow Street honours Thomas Swallow, lessee in 1540 of the pastures on which the road was built (Piccadilly Circus)
Swan House, W1S Swan House can be found on Old Bond Street (Green Park)
Swiss Court, SW1Y Swiss Court is named for the former Swiss Centre, once located here (Leicester Square)
The Bank Building, SW1A The Bank Building is located on St James’s Street (St James’s)
The Economist Building, SW1A The Economist Building can be found on St James’s Street (St James’s)
The London Pavillion, SW1Y The London Pavilion is a building on Piccadilly Circus (Soho)
The Mall, SW1Y The Mall is the processional route between Trafalgar Square and Buckingham Palace (St James’s)
The Ritz Arcade, SW1A The Ritz Arcade lies outside The Ritz Hotel (St James’s)
Time & Life Building, W1J Time & Life Building is a block on Bruton Street
Victory House, W1B Victory House is a block on Regent Street (Piccadilly Circus)
Vigo Street, W1J Vigo Street is a short street running west from Regent Street
Vine Street, SW1Y Vine Street is a short dead-end street running east from Swallow Street and is parallel to Piccadilly (Piccadilly Circus)
Warwick House Street, SW1A Warwick House Street formerly approached Warwick House, built in the 17th century for Sir Philip Warwick (Charing Cross)
Warwick Street, W1B Warwick Street was previously known as both Dog Lane and Marrowbone Lane (Soho)
Waterloo Place, SW1Y Waterloo Place, an extension of Regent Street, is awash with statues and monuments that honour heroes of the British Empire (St James’s)
Wellington Mews, W1B Wellington Mews was a new name for a stable yard without a name before the nineteenth century (Soho)
Westmorland House, W1B Westmorland House is a block on Regent Street (Soho)
Whitcomb Street, WC2H Whitcomb Street - named after William Whitcomb, 17th century brewer and property developer (Leicester Square)
Wilder Walk, W1J Wilder Walk was named for Councillor Ian Wilder in 2012 (Piccadilly Circus)


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