Free Tour of the Women's Library

A scheduled drop-in tour of The Women's Library offers an insight into the current exhibition and the library on Saturday 29th of March.

The Women's Library exists to document and explore women's lives in Britain in the past, the present and the future and houses the most extensive resource for women's history in the UK.

The Library was established in 1926 as the Library of the London Society for Women's Service, the successor of the London suffrage organisation led by Millicent Fawcett. Its first home was a converted public house in Marsham Street, Westminster. Vera Douie was appointed librarian in 1926 and she managed and developed the collections until her retirement in 1967. In 1953 both the Society and the Library were renamed in honour of Millicent Fawcett.

The Fawcett Society ran the Library until 1977 when it moved to City Polytechnic, later known as London Guildhall University, and now part of London Metropolitan University. From 1977 to 2001 the collections were housed in a cramped basement which was prone to flooding. In order to secure the long-term future of the collections, provide space for expansion and modern research facilities for users the University sought funding for a new home for the Library. In 1998 the Heritage Lottery Fund awarded a grant of £4.2 million to purchase the site of the old East End wash houses and build a new centre to house the collections. The Women's Library was renamed and moved into its new purpose-built home in 2002.

The Women's Library today incorporates a Reading Room for the consultation of printed materials, archives and museum collections, an exhibition hall, and education and events facilities. It aims to inspire learning and debate on issues that concern women for the benefit of all and is an internationally renowned resource, available to everyone, for women's history research.

The Women's Library
London Metropolitan University
Old Castle Street
London E1 7NT
T +44 (0)20 7320 2222

How to get there:

To help you plan your visit, visit Transport for London's Journey Planner, whether you're walking, cycling, driving, using the tube or buses, Journey Planner will provide the fastest, most efficient route.

By Tube:
The Metropolitan and Circle lines will take you to Aldgate or hop on a District or Hammersmith&City line, these will take you to Aldgate East, which is even closer.

By Bus:
Routes 15, 25, 40, 42, 67, 78, 100, 115, 205, 254 all call at or near Aldgate and Aldgate East.

By Bike:
Again, the best thing to do is to consult TfL's Journey Planner, where you will be able to plan your cycle route. This is a small map of the area.

On Foot:
Old Castle Street runs parallel to Commercial Street and is less than 200 metres from Aldgate East tube station.