Open House Festival

Charing Cross Library

library

Michael Rachlis, 1891

4-6 Charing Cross Road, WC2H 0HF

The building has had many incarnations since its construction in the 1890s as a woolen warehouse. It became a home to the Italian Benevolent Society, then a fascist club, a serviceman's club, and now a library with the largest publicly accessible collection of Chinese language books in the UK. View the temporary exhibition on the Matteotti Affair.

Getting there

Access

Create a free visitor account to book festival tickets

Drop in activities

Sat 12 Sep

11:00–14:00

Drop in: Charing Cross Library Through Time Exhibition

Sun 13 Sep

11:00–14:00

Drop in: Charing Cross Library Through Time Exhibition

Mon 14 Sep

11:00–17:00

Drop in: Charing Cross Library Through Time Exhibition

Tue 15 Sep

11:00–17:00

Drop in: Charing Cross Library Through Time Exhibition

Wed 16 Sep

11:00–17:00

Drop in: Charing Cross Library Through Time Exhibition

Thu 17 Sep

11:00–17:00

Drop in: Charing Cross Library Through Time Exhibition

Fri 18 Sep

11:00–17:00

Drop in: Charing Cross Library Through Time Exhibition

Sat 19 Sep

11:00–14:00

Drop in: Charing Cross Library Through Time Exhibition

Sun 20 Sep

11:00–14:00

Drop in: Charing Cross Library Through Time Exhibition

Activities

Fri 18 Sep

Talk

17:30–18:30

Community Use - Past and Present

The Library has had a coloured history reflecting the past and differing usage in different periods.

How to book

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About

Charing Cross Library Through Time

A celebration of the building's history and its continuing role in the life of the community, featuring a historical exhibition and special talk on 18 September.

The Matteotti Affair Exhibtion

The Matteotti Affair was the political crisis caused by the 1924 murder of socialist leader Giacomo Matteotti, a crime that initially threatened Mussolini's rule but ultimately helped him consolidate his dictatorship in Italy. This exhibition on the first floor charts the story and reflects on how the rise the fascism could have been halted if the assassination prompted a different response.

Online presence

www.westminster.gov.uk/leisure-libraries-and-community/libraries/charing-cross-library

www.ianvisits.co.uk/articles/charing-cross-librarys-matteotti-affair-exhibition-revisits-1924s-anti-fascist-movement-71674

Nearby

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