There are libraries full of screaming children and strip lighting, and then there are libraries like The London Library. Whenever I’m there it’s hard to believe I’m not caught inside a wonderful dream, because everything about this place is so perfect as to be almost unreal.
Website
londonlibrary.co.uk
Address
The London Library, 14 Saint James's Square, London, United Kingdom
Current city: London
Vanessa Pelz-Sharpe is a writer and broadcaster. Born and bred in London, she has written for a number of independent magazines and newspapers, including The Guardian, Illustrated Ape, and Pen Pusher, and was Contributing Editor for literary magazine Full Moon Empty Sports Bag. She co-hosts Letters You Never Sent, a monthly literary radio show on NTS. Pelz-Sharpe recently won a Cosmopolitan Magazine Blog Award for her blog Nightmares and Boners and is currently working on her first novel.
 

More Places in London 471

Although off the beaten track from the large national galleries, 198 is no less an important part of London’s artistic heritage. Developed during the social unrest in the Brixton area in the 1980s, 198 has grown from a community arts space into an exciting contemporary visual arts body that is often the first place to see the next rising star of the London art scene.
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British folk culture inspired pub. Head there on Sunday for a pint and a proper Northern roast.
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I discovered this hidden gem by pure chance when i explored the area in one of my lunch breaks. Rochelle Canteen is hidden away behind the walls of three former victorian schools on Arnold Circus in London's Shoreditch. The atmosphere, upon entering the ground, is relaxed almost tranquil. The canteen itself is situated in the old bike shed and the kitchens' size almost belies it's output. The food is distinctively modern British; run by Arnold & Henderson, a household name of britisch cuisine. The guests are local creative types so that the atmosphere is more relaxed then anything else. In the summer you can also sit outside.
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Sans Pere is my new favourite place to have breakfast, café or lunch. In the heart of Shoreditch it really feels like a modern home. Their quiches are delicious and they have an in-house patisserie kitchen and let me tell you their cute bite-size choux and bronuts (brioche-donuts) are worth the detour.
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Untitled Bar is modelled on Andy Warhol’s Factory. It is sterile and minimal setting but as more bodies join, things soon warm up.
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