Opening Hours
Our Opening hours are:
Monday, Wednesday, Thursday 9.30am-7pm
Tuesday 9.30am-8pm
Friday 9.30am-5pm
Saturday 9.30am-1pm
On the last Monday of every month the Lit & Phil will open at 10.30am. This allows us to have a staff meeting. We apologise for any inconvenience caused.
Now we are fully open we look forward to welcoming even more members and visitors to the library. We have exciting talks, concerts, readings, tours and performances coming up – check our events page for full details.

Book a Tour
Behind the Books Lit & Phil tours are back!
Our famous tours are completely free and all led by our team of award-winning guides. Tours will follow a prescribed route to comply with social distancing guidelines. Find more info by clicking the button below.
How to find us
The Lit & Phil Library is Newcastle’s exquisite secret library.
We are a stone's throw from Newcastle Central Station...
23 Westgate Road
Newcastle upon Tyne
NE1 1SE
Tel: 0191 232 0192
Nearest Metro station: Central Station
School Visits
Our grade 2* listed building welcomes visitors into a wonderful space which has witnessed two centuries of dynamic local history. We think it’s important that young people feel welcome and comfortable in this space, and we’d encourage you to consider arranging a visit for your class. You can do this by sending in our visit request form here. Visits are free of charge.
We offer a range of graded activity sheets which will structure your visit. The information you supply in the visit request form will indicate the most appropriate sheet for your group. If requested, a member of our volunteer team will assist on the day, but the structure of the visit is determined by the activity sheet and designed for teacher supervision. Teachers’ notes will be available to prepare for an arranged visit.
The sheets cover general information relating to the history of the society, as well as including more specific references, for example to famous scientific inventions, other items in the Society’s collection, local dynasties etc. They also offer possibilities for optional follow-up work in the classroom. If a class has a particular agenda, the request form invites you to outline specific reasons for your visit.
We look forward to seeing you!
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