GOODENOUGH LIBRARY
FOUNDED 1930
Background
Goodenough Library has provided a space for graduate students from around the world to read and study in the heart of London since the 1930s. Goodenough College is an educational charity in Mecklenburgh Square, established in 1930 by Frederick Craufurd Goodenough, Chairman of Barclays Bank, as the first student residence in London for international postgraduate students. The College has two libraries, the Charles Parsons Library in London House and the Campbell Stuart Library in William Goodenough House. Both libraries offer a quiet space for Members of the College to read and work. Since late 2023, following an arrangement with the British Federation of Women Graduates, it has additionally housed the Sybil Campbell Collection comprising some 1,400 books and other items from the 18th to 20th century.
Building Goodenough College’s London House, opened in 1931, at first comprised several houses on Mecklenburgh Place. Between 1935 and 1963, the new London House for 300 single students was built in three stages to the designs of architect Sir Herbert Baker, his partner Alexander T Scott and their successor Vernon Helbing. The Charles Parsons Library was completed in 1937 in London House. William Goodenough House, located on the opposite side of Mecklenburgh Square, was established in 1957. ‘Willie G’ became part of the College in 1965 and the Campbell Stuart Library was established in 1982 to provide a tranquil place for Members to study.
Collection Goodenough Library’s main lending collection comprises more than 10,000 titles of fiction, non-fiction, academic textbooks, poetry, theatre and more, some of which was acquired by former librarians, others donated by residents over the years. These are available for loan to College Members.
It is also the home of the Sybil Campbell Collection, which was established in 1928 in Chelsea as the Crosby Hall Library. Some books are interesting for their provenance, with material donated by significant figures of the 1920s and 1930s such as Ivy Davison, L. P. Hartley, Alys and Bertrand Russell, George Bernard Shaw, Caroline Spurgeon, Lytton Strachey, Virginia and Leonard Woolf and others. The Collection’s highlights include Hogarth Press first editions, a 1748 edition of John Rocque’s map of London and what might be the world’s most complete collection of titles by the small Chelsea publisher Swan Press. The Collection was moved from the University of Winchester to Goodenough College in late 2023.
To access the Collection, College Members and visiting researchers may locate titles using the Sybil Campbell Collection online catalogue (developed by Jose Lopez Blanco, Academic Librarian at the University of South Wales), and then contact the College Librarian to arrange to view the materials.
Contact information Olivia Ho, Goodenough Librarian Goodenough College, Mecklenburgh Square, London WC1N 2AB tel: +44 (0)20 7837 8888/ email: library@goodenough.ac.uk
Website https://www.goodenough.ac.uk/student-life/facilities/study/
Instagram: @goodenoughlibrary
Goodenough Library is open 24/7 to Members, alumni and College guests. Members of the public who wish to visit the library or access the the collection for research should contact the College Librarian.