The following is a guest post from Polly Jones, Westminster Music Librarian:
Tucked away down a side street between the noise and lights of Leicester Square and the grandeur and opulence of the National Portrait Gallery sits an unassuming building which holds what I personally consider to be one of London’s best kept secrets: Westminster Music Library.
The Music Library is housed within the newly named West End Arts Library, alongside the Art & Design and Performing Arts collections. The Art collection, along with the William Blake collection at Westminster Archives, is designated a collection of national significance by the Arts Council England. The Music Library collection is supported by the Central Music Library, and holds, among biographies, scores, solo and ensemble pieces and educational materials, over 1,500 orchestral performance sets.
Grade 2 listed and semi-famed for being the residence of Isaac Newton from 1710-1727 (on the roof of which he built his very own observatory) the building’s unique character and impressive collections continue to be a particular favourite among musicians, artists, dancers, actors, as well as the occasional astro physics enthusiast.
The building’s other former residents of note were prominent organist, composer, music historian and author of A General History of Music, Charles Burney, and his novelist daughter Fanny Burney, who lived here from 1774 to 1790. Fanny even secretly wrote and published her first and most famous novel, Evelina here, in 1778. Throughout this period, the house became an intellectual and creative hub with actors, authors and musicians regularly converging on the site to collaborate and socialise.
2025 has also been an exciting few months for our little corner of Westminster Libraries. On 22 October 2025 we officially launched the West End Arts Library with a ribbon cutting ceremony, attended by Westminster Councillors, staff, and arts and music partners. It was a wonderful celebration with tea and cake, a cartoon exhibition and workshop in the Arts Library and an AfroBeats dance workshop in the Music Library.
Another exciting development in the WML story is that the WEAL celebration coincided with the re-launch of our orchestral set hire service, which had been suspended for the past two years.
As a team, we have worked hard to redesign this service for maximum efficiency and effectiveness within the confines of our Library Management System and limited budgets. Our orchestral sets are a crucial resource for hundreds of ensembles, and the news of the relaunch has been gratefully received across our community.
Whist the orchestral sets are an integral part of our collection, we are at heart, a public library. Free, accessible community music events are at the heart of our offer. Our enduringly popular Wednesday lunchtime concerts attract up to 400 attendees each month and our Music Library Officers do an incredible job curating a diverse and inspiring concert series which celebrates music across Westminster from conservatoires to our local community.
Our free monthly West African Drumming Workshops for adults and families led by Mbilla Arts continue to be increasingly popular, as are our free-to-use digital pianos and ukuleles.
For more information on our events and concerts, please visit our Westminster Libraries & Archives Eventbrite page: City of Westminster Libraries & Archives Events.
The next time you are passing through Leicester Square and need a break from the hubbub and crowds, come and visit us at 35 St Martin’s Street – we’d love to have you.
Polly Jones: Westminster Music Librarian