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No one has (officially) slept inside St Paul’s Cathedral since World War Two, when volunteers from St Paul’s Watch who were tasked with protecting the iconic building were allowed to stay overnight. But now that’s all set to change, as a few very lucky bookworms will get the rare chance to stay inside the cathedral’s world-famous walls (minus the air raid sirens and fighter planes).
To mark World Book Day on Friday, March 7, Airbnb is offering the opportunity to stay in the cathedral’s hidden library. And there's just one (albeit very important) rule: you must be a bookworm.
Nestled in a corner of the building, the room is filled top to bottom by a collection of 22,000 books, especially curated for this sleepover. Of course, you’ll have your pick of all the classics but guests will also find a few yet-to-be-released novels from the likes of Kevin Kwam (the man behind ‘Crazy Rich Asians’) and John Grisham.
The literary slumber party will go something like this: guests will enter the cathedral through the Dean’s door and climb its famous 300-year-old Geometric Staircase. At the top, you’ll go through a door and into the hidden library where you’ll be greeted by the Dean and get a private tour of the iconic landmark.
There’ll be dinner at a neighbouring restaurant and plenty of time to delve into one of the thousands of books at your disposal. The next morning, there will be breakfast before you climb St Paul’s dome. To top it all off, you’ll leave with signed and stamped copies of the unreleased books. Phew!
And FYI, you can get all if that for just £7 for two people. The exclusive stay will be happening on Friday, March 15 and anyone keen can request to book from 10am on March 12 over on the Airbnb website here. Here’s a sneak peak of what to expect:
In case you didn’t already know, London is a bibliophile’s paradise. To prove it, Time Out has put together lists of the city’s most beautiful libraries, the best bookshops to get lost in and a guide to London’s literary landmarks. And if you miss out on St Paul’s exclusive Airbnb, you can still enjoy a book-ish getaway with some of our other favourite places to stay.
Did you see that none of the UK’s best fish and chips shops are in London?
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