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Museum Lates at Dr Johnson's House

  • Dec 25, 2025
  • 2 min read

Updated: 1 day ago


A close-up of a polished wooden table set for a celebration with two ornate brass candelabras holding lit taper candles, and four glasses of sparkling wine. At the center of the table is a champagne bottle draped in an embroidered cloth featuring a historical design and the words "Tetty." Framed portraits hang on the pale green walls in the background, adding to the elegant and historical setting.

Thursday 23 April

5.30pm - 7pm

£14 / 2 for £22


Celebrate the return of light evenings with a Museum Late at one of London’s best-kept secrets! Enjoy a glass of fizz and explore the beautiful historic home of the famous Samuel Johnson, whose love of London led him to declare '...when a man is tired of London, he is tired of life!'





SHORT TALK: 6pm

Spotlight on...



Drop by the Withdrawing Room at 6pm to hear more! (The talk is 10-15 minutes duration)


Dr Samuel Johnson

Like many Londoners today Samuel Johnson was not from London. The son of a bookseller in Lichfield (Staffordshire), Johnson walked to the capital in 1737 seeking fame and fortune. He never left. While fortune evaded him, Dr Johnson rose to become one of the greatest writers of the Georgian era.


Johnson's Dictionary of the English Language laid the foundation of modern English, and the House where he created it is often referred to as the 'Cradle of the English Language'.


The House is an open window into the Age of Enlightenment as a place where leading minds of the day gathered, including the Bluestockings - the female intellectuals and scholars of the era, such as Elizabeth Carter and Elizabeth Montagu - of whom Johnson was a great advocate.


Experience a Georgian Townhouse

A stone’s throw from St Paul’s and St Bride’s in the historic heart of London, Dr Johnson's House is the only Georgian townhouse still standing in the area. Built in the 1690s, soon after the Great Fire of London, the five-storey house at 17 Gough Square has survived many near misses over the last 300+ years (not least the Blitz!).


The house retains many original features, including a very quirky anti-burglary device. You can browse all the rooms in what was still the tallest building in the area during WWII.


  • Grab a glass and explore the rooms from Parlour & Withdrawing Room, to Library & Garret  

  • Discover the unique architectural features of a 330-year old townhouse

  • Sit on the chairs and window seats and soak up the atmosphere

  • Head up to the garret - where Johnson created his great Dictionary in 1755 

  • Leaf through the Dictionary and look up lost words like hotcockles, jiggumbob, and twittletwattle 

  • Try writing with a quill and ink

  • Meet the Bluestockings, such as Elizabeth Carter, and other leading intellectuals of the Enlightenment

  • Hear how the House was saved during the Blitz

  • Keep an eye out for Hodge - Johnson's 'very fine cat'

  • Browse the Gift Shop for unique gifts and books


Come along, walk up the steps, and open the door to a most enlightening and enjoyable experience!


Doors open at 5.30pm. Drop off your bag, grab a glass and begin to explore!

There is no specific start time, but the Short Talk is at 6pm (for 10-15 minutes).

You are welcome to arrive and depart as you like between 5.30pm - 7pm.


Candlelight and glassed of prosecco on the table in Dr Johnson's withdrawing room. Museum Lates.


Accessibility

There is regrettably no step-free access to Dr Johnson's House.

There are seven steps to access the entrance (with a handrail).

The building is a four-storey townhouse with a staircase between each floor.

There are handrails on each side of the staircase and visitor seating in every room.

Toilets are located down a steep set of stairs.



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