Southwark Heritage Centre and Walworth Library
This multi-use community space provides a combined library and heritage service. Visitors will enjoy unique access to the borough’s historic collections alongside a state-of-the-art library with a range of meeting and study spaces.
Visitor information
Walworth library
Browse 20,000 new books and find inspiration in the historical artefacts and artworks that you’ll discover among the shelves, carefully chosen to match the library’s subject areas.
The space also provides bookable public PCs for adults and children, designated quiet study spaces and a mix of comfortable and casual seating.
Featured exhibition: Myth Making
“All history is in some way Myth - protected in glass cabinets and recorded in archives, but also half preserved in whispers shared in the corner shop."
Artists Wignall & Moore worked with the local community to create some new myths for Southwark. These are shown in the writing, poems, paintings and sculptures on display here, alongside artefacts from the Cuming Collection.
The Story of Southwark exhibition gallery
The centre’s permanent display of artefacts from the council’s heritage collections delves into the themes of Place, People, Work and Play.
The World Wall
This permanent installation celebrates world cultures and showcases the centre’s rarer historic objects from across the globe.
Please help us by sharing your story of Southwark Today.
The project will run throughout 2021 and culminate in an exhibition at Southwark Heritage Centre and Walworth Library.
Coming soon
Some facilities are not yet open to the public due to safety restrictions. We will continue to update this page as they become available.
The Faraday Room
This room offers a unique experience for your meeting or study session - a digitally silent space, inspired by local inventor Michael Faraday and the concept of the ‘Faraday cage’. Book this space if you want to switch off and focus.
Activity room
A convenient space for small group workshops and events.
The Stairplace
With seating for 50 people, this flexible event space is perfect for talks, story times and performances.
The Lounge
This bookable meeting room doubles as a reading space with 14 seats around the table plus 14 couch seats.
Events and workshops
We hope to reintroduce live on-site group activities for adults and children later in the year.
Page last updated: 31 January 2022
