News

Polishing the Pebble: Dr Johnson & the Art of 18th-Century Letter Writing

Tuesday 25 November, 12.30 - 1.45pm. £3.96 (booking required). Learn about Johnson's views on letter writing and why he felt it to be an important branch of literature!

Christmas wreath with red baubles on a dark door with knocker.

Christmas Lates at Dr Johnson's House

Thursday 20 Nov, 5.30pm - 7pm. £14. Step Back in Time this Christmas! Celebrate the magic of Christmas at Dr Johnson’s enchanting historic house!

a bronze statue of Samuel Johnson on a stone plinth in front of an old stone church, with trees and city buildings in the background.

Dr Johnson's House - Christmas Walk & Visit

Wednesday 12 November. 1pm - 3pm. £20. Take a fascinating walk through the heart of literary London and visit the festively decorated home of Dr Samuel Johnson.

Four visitors exploring a warmly lit library room with tall windows, yellow curtains, and glass-fronted bookcases filled with old volumes.

Seasonal Sundays

Dr Johnson's House is open on selected Sundays 12pm - 4pm until December! Sun 19 & 26 Oct, Sun 9 & 29 Nov, and Sun 7 Dec 2025

An 18th-century satirical print showing a soldier arm-in-arm with two fashionably dressed women on a street at night. A boy tugs at the soldier’s coat, while another man lurks behind. A woman leans from a window above a doorway marked “WINES,” smiling knowingly. Titled An Evening’s Invitation; with a Wink from the Bagnio.

Gentlemen’s Relish: Prostitution in the Georgian Era

Tuesday 28 October, 12.30 - 1.30pm. £3.96 (booking required). Explore prostitution in Georgian Britain - a tale of winners and losers, humour and despair.

Museum Lates at Dr Johnson's House

Thursday 23 Oct, 5.30pm - 7pm. £14 / 2 FOR £20. Step back in time to 1700s London with an evening visit home of Dr Johnson, who famously said, '...when a man is tired of London, he is tired of life'.

New House of Words Update

Welcome to the most recent House of Words Update featuring news about exciting developments and future plans at Dr Johnson's House.

Amorous or Loving?: The Highly Peculiar Tale of English and the English

Wednesday 15 October, 6 - 8pm. £22.50. Hear Sir Rupert Gavin chart English’s extraordinary path to becoming the most global language today spoken by 1.6 billion all over the world.

Dr Johnson's House - Walk & Visit

Wednesday 15 October. 1pm - 3pm. £20. Take a fascinating walk through the heart of literary London and visit the home of its most famous resident writer, Dr Samuel Johnson.

Gin & Georgian London: A Spirited Evening

Thursday 9 October, 6pm - 8pm. £29.95. Enjoy gin, history, and tasting at Dr Johnson’s House!

Christmas Lates at Dr Johnson's House

Thursday 4 Dec, 5.30pm - 7pm. £14. Step Back in Time this Christmas! Celebrate the magic of Christmas at Dr Johnson’s enchanting historic house!

A framed portrait of Dr Samuel Johnson hangs on a wood-panelled wall, lit warmly from above. Below it, a festive garland decorated with red ribbons, gold baubles, small glowing candles and plush cat toy, sit along a mantelpiece.

Festive FSQ: Dr Johnson's House Lecture Festive Special

Tuesday 9 December, 2.30 - 3.45pm. £3.96 (booking required). Join us for a whirlwind tour of Georgian Christmas traditions and celebrations at Dr Johnson's House!

Dr Johnson's House - Christmas Walk & Visit

Wednesday 10 December. 1pm - 3pm. £20. Take a fascinating walk through the heart of literary London and visit the festively decorated home of Dr Samuel Johnson.

Dr Johnson's House - Walk & Visit

Wednesday 14 January. 1pm - 3pm. £20. Take a fascinating walk through the heart of literary London and visit the home of its most famous resident writer, Dr Samuel Johnson.

The Parlour at Dr Johnson's House with candelabra and glass of sparkling wine

Museum Lates at Dr Johnson's House

Thursday 22 Jan, 5.30pm - 7pm. £14 / 2 FOR £22. Shake off the January blues with an evening visit to one of London’s best-kept secrets!

Garrick’s Temple to Shakespeare on the riverside at Hampton

David Garrick: His Life, His Times and His Temple

Tuesday 27 January, 12.30 - 1.45pm. £3.96 (booking required). Join us for a talk on David Garrick, friend, pupil, and travelling companion of Dr Samuel Johnson.

Dr Johnson's House - Walk & Visit

Wednesday 11 February. 1pm - 3pm. £20. Take a fascinating walk through the heart of literary London and visit the home of its most famous resident writer, Dr Samuel Johnson.

Queer Georgians: A hidden history of lovers, lawbreakers and homemakers

Wednesday 25 February, 6:30 - 8pm. £27.50. Hear the hidden histories of the real people that inspired Gentleman Jack and the gay romances in Bridgerton.

Dr Johnson's House - Walk & Visit

Wednesday 11 March. 1pm - 3pm. £20. Take a fascinating walk through the heart of literary London and visit the home of its most famous resident writer, Dr Samuel Johnson.

A late 19th-century painting of Fleet Street by Ernest George (1886), showing narrow gabled buildings with overhanging upper floors. Signs for newspapers and periodicals, including News of the World and The Artist, are visible on the façades. A figure in red stands on a small balcony, with the tower of a church in the background.

Fleet Street: A Stroll Down the Street of Shame

Tuesday 30 September, 12.30 - 1.30pm. £3.96 (booking required). Join Sophie Campbell to learn about the history of Fleet Street, the boisterously beating heart of the British newspaper industry.