Sitting cat shaped teapot with a paw raised

Oval shaped teapot with a short upper spout and rounded handle

Teapot shaped as bamboo storks, illustrated with birds and leaves.

Traditional shaped pot illustrated with koi carp and plants

To mark #NationalTeaDay we've found an interesting selection of teapot drawings from 'Talking of Tea' by Gervas Huxley, published in 1956 (AS 2815) Illustrations by Acanthus.
Our favourite is definitely the cat-shaped teapot...🐈‍⬛🫖

Worshipful Company of Wheelwrights coat of arms, an ornate border of leaves, ornaments and figures above and to the left.

The complete Worshipful Company of Wheelwrights Grant of Arms with an ornate border of leaves, ornaments and figures. A seal attached with ribbons at the bottom. 1634.

This very ornate Grant of Arms (1634) for the Worshipful Company of Wheelwrights was recently requested by a researcher doing a project on the livery companies of the City of London. A beautiful document with its original seal. 📜

These colourful illustrations come from 'The History of Tom Thumb' by Thomas Goode, published sometime in the 1850s (shelf mark: BAY H 8.1 NO 1 IN 41)

The paper and colouring may not be of the highest quality, but the bright, vivid images captured children’s attention and encouraged them to read 🌈📖

Anthropomorphic animals have captured the imagination for centuries, becoming a prominent feature of children’s literature.

These illustrations are from The Elephant’s Ball, published in 1807, which depict animals playing music and dancing.

t’s Nation Pet Month 🐾🐱

To celebrate, we’re sharing a special selection of photographs from 'Mascots and Pets of the Service's by Thomas Joseph Edwards (shelf mark: 636).

These remarkable images capture the often-overlooked, loyal companions who stood alongside service members.

🚨 Our 600th Anniversary exhibition is closing soon 🚨

While there's still time, come down and view some of our oldest items on displays, including The Chronicles of Frances and The Nuremberg Chronicle.

Exhibition is free and open Monday - Thursday, 10am-4pm.

Miniature of a battle scene with soldiers on horseback and on foot facing each other. The sky is depicted in gold leaf. A decorated letter in gold text below this scene. By Ravenelle Painter around 1400.

Detail of ivy leaf and tendrils decoration with blue, brown and gold leaves below text which includes a decorated letter in gold leaf..

Miniature of a wedding scene with richly dressed figures, with a decorative red/gold background. Text above and below the scene and ivy leaf and tendrils decoration with blue, brown and gold leaves to the left. By Ravenelle Painter around 1400.

⭐️'The Chronicles of France' (1371-1435?) is a medieval treasure held by Guildhall Library since at least 1516. About French history up to 1380, with beautiful miniatures by Ravenelle Painter ⭐️

Part of our free current Guildhall 600 exhibition celebrating 600 years! Closes at the end of April 2026.

Logo of Guildhall Library 600 exhibition showing a collage of letters & images

View of the Guildhall Library 600 exhibition showing wall panels and glass cases with book exhibits.

🎉We are open this Saturday 11th April!🎉

Only a few tickets left: bit.ly/4cdpcNL

Please join us for an in depth look at our new exhibition, Guildhall Library 600! Senior Librarian Melanie Strong will share the stories of the objects on display & delve deeper into the history of the original library

Cover of Guildhall Library events programme for May-August 2026 with a collage of talk images including broadsides, a royal banquet and a book cover.

🌟Welcome to Guildhall Library's event programme for May-August 2026! bit.ly/4bViJYQ

Please book via Eventbrite here: bit.ly/4meCYnK

Advert for room hire showing a boardroom table with chairs and a display screen.

Did you know we have rooms available for hire from £20 per hour?

Accessible and in the heart of the City.

Contact us to find out more! 📞

Easter is quickly approaching, we hope you don’t see the devil on Easter Monday—unlike the poor Londoners of 1841, who swore they did at the Greenwich Fair.

You can read their totally true account at Guildhall Library (shelf mark: PAM 3107).

It’s April Fools’ Day! 🤡

To celebrate, we’re spotlighting our copy of The Book of Blockheads (1863) by Charles Bennett (shelf mark: BAY H 6.6 NO 10).

“Blockhead” was a term used to describe someone foolish or lacking wisdom.

Why Aphra Behn and ‘The Amorous Prince’ Still Matter *Trigger warning: mentions of sexual violence and assault* Introduction In honour of women’s history month 2026, we’ve decided to highlight Aphra Behn and her third play The Amorous Pri…

New blog post! 🖥️

Women’s History Month is ending! 🎭 We’re celebrating Aphra Behn and The Amorous Prince (1671)—and why they still matter today.

Read more:

Text: bank holiday closure. Guildhall Library will be closed Monday 6th April.

Guildhall Library will be closed Monday 6th April for the bank holiday.

Normal opening hours will resume Tuesday 7th April.

Title page of 'The Smallest Dictionary in the World' by Dr Johnson, 1890. Still with its original tin box pendant.

'The Smallest Dictionary in the World' open and showing entries and definitions.

A small but mighty book in our collections - 'The World's Smallest English Dictionary', published circa 1890 by David Bryce, complete with its original metal box. ✨

Part of our current Guildhall 600 exhibition celebrating 600 years! Closes at the end of April 2026.

View of the impressive and large Palm House at Kew Gardens. Many people/families in Victorian dress are walking close by admiring the view. (PAM 228)

Cover of the guide book (1854) for Kew Gardens printed on pale blue paper with an illustration showing 8 people in Victorian dress at a gateway to the gardens. This cost Two Pence. (PAM 228)

Diagrams of palm trees - a fan Palm and a Cabbage Palm - in the greenhouses of Kew.

Diagrams of various fruits growing in the greenhouses of Kew - Bread fruit, Longan, Pawpaw and Mango.

We must thank a Victorian visitor for preserving this guide book to @kewgardens from 1854 [PAM 228]!

Printed on cheap paper but full of information about the gardens, highlights such as the Palm House, and descriptions of trees and plants from around the world. 🌴

Oval coloured map showing Green Park and St James' Park and a section of the Thames. 1911. London landmarks are in each corner - Windsor Castle, the Tower of London, the Houses of Parliament and Westminster Abbey.

Tube map of London, 1911.

Blue with black print cover of the well-used 'Bacon's up to date Atlas and Guide to London' 1911. PAM 21867.

It's always fascinating to see how London has developed by old maps. The elegant 'Bacon's Pocket Atlas of London' from 1911 (PAM 21867) would have been carried around while navigating the clearer streets and Tube of the time.

Display of new books in Guildhall Library reading room.

Six Lives: the Stories of Henry VIII's Queens

A History of Council Housing in 100 Estates by John Boughton.

Horace Jones: Architect of Tower Bridge by David Lascelles

Not only do we have wonderful special collection we also have an inspiring selection of new books about many aspects of London and it's great history...📚📖

Title page of the almanac showing a depiction of Sarah Jinner in an oval setting.

A chapter opening with a diagram showing the latitude of London.

A forecast for March - weather and positions of the moon.

‘An almanack or prognostication for… 1658’ (S PAM 173) by Sarah Jinner of London who wrote a series of almanacs in 1658-1664. Considered to be one of the first women to be a professional writer.

These were aimed at educated people and included forecasts for the year and medical remedies for women.

Guide to the Stock Exchange Yearbooks One of the most used collections at Guildhall Library is the Stock Exchange. It’s a vast collection which is extremely useful for historical business research but, isn’t the easiest to access. At G…

New blog post 🖥️

Read our guide on Stock Exchange yearbooks to help with your research 📚️

There's still time to see our 600th anniversary exhibition!

On display is our oldest book, medieval manuscripts, early printed books, and some Victorian and modern publications which tells the history of Guildhall Library.

Open Monday - Thursday, 10am-4pm.

Exhibition closes end of April.

♻️ Today is Global Recycling Day! ♻️

This year’s theme: Don’t think waste. Think opportunity.

Why not grab one of our second-hand books on sale? 📚
Recycling 1 ton of paper can save 17 trees 🌳

🍀🪉 Happy St Patrick’s Day! 🍀🪉

To celebrate, we're sharing a page from the Illustrated London News detailing St Patrick's Day in London in 1844.

Last week we digitised “Te Deum” (1720) by George Frideric Handel—including the bassoon/cello part and four Chandos anthems (G MUS 366).

This copy comes from our Gresham Music Collection, housed at Guildhall Library since 1958. 🎼📜

Cover of 'Glenny's Garden Almanac', 1873 (PAM 22294) with headings and text around an oval colour illustration of some flowers.

Advert for an 'Automaton' lawn mower with diagram and description.

Advert for an upright greenhouse boiler with diagram and description.

💐Spring is a time to get out into the garden, ‘Glenny’s Garden Almanac and Florists’ Directory’ of 1873 might help (PAM 22294) With advice on creating the most productive garden & adverts for all kinds of gardening tools. 🪏

Part of the vast pamphlet collection here full of everyday materials.

Fan with a depiction of a balloon ascent from the Tuilleries.

Fan depicting people and buildings in various pastoral settings.

Fan with a depiction of a grand theatrical scene.

We have found this elegant book 'Fans and Fan Leaves',1888-1890 (ST 420.4) by Lady Charlotte Schreiber who was a collector.

Fans were fascinating aspect of the Regency period and had a language of their own. And a regular feature of Jane Austen novels and Bridgerton ✨

Charter MS 04666 that shows the transfer of a property from a daughter to her mother, 1349.

Charter MS 04668 that shows the transfer of the same property from the mother back to her daughter, 1350.

These documents show a transfer of property from a daughter, Ellen Madour, to her mother, Emma Harding, in 1349.
They show how women were able to gain more power and agency during the period of the Black Death which had ravaged London & gave them a chance to have more control within their lives.

Plan drawings of the Stock Exchange building proposal, 1885.

Ground plan of detached premises, Stock Exchange. 1885.

Collection of Stock Exchange drawings in folders.

A reader recently looked at these incredible collections of architectural drawings from 1885 for the Stock Exchange offices (MS19927)

Peggy Crawford (19 years old) operating an oxy-gas cutter on heavy steel plates

A busy scene in the fitting out basin of a British shipyard (unnamed) Shipyards were building at record rates – this one launched a 10,000-ton ship every 3 weeks.

Sarah Stewart (17 years old) auto-truck driver

To celebrate #internationalwomensday we remember the thousands of women who were employed in the shipyards during the Second World War 🧑‍🏭🛠️

From the Newall Dunn collection – one of the world’s most comprehensive photographic and ephemera resources for Merchant Shipping history. 🚢

Today we found this beautiful copy of 'The history of Clerkenwell' (1865) by William John Pinks.

The volume contains a colourful map of Clerkenwell, architectural drawings, and illustrations of daily life throughout history.

Shelf mark: SL 95:29