The latest exhibition in the Guildhall Library is well worth a visit. The first Guildhall Library was founded in 1425 with money left in the will of Richard Whittington so this year is its 600th anniversary. Over those six centuries the story of an astute late medieval merchant, politician and philanthropist evolved into a rags-to-riches tale of penniless orphan who came by wealth and fame with the help of his cat. This exhibition examines that transformation, featuring chapbooks, children’s books, works relating to pantomimes and of course cats …
Entry is free and you get, not only an excellent printed guide, but also a very informative booklet about the man and the myth written by Assistant Librarian Ann Martin …
The printed guides are complemented by panels which tell Whittington’s story in more detail along with helpful illustrations …
A cache of over 300 books, toys, puzzles, theatre programmes and lantern slides — themed around the man who was Lord Mayor of London four times — was bequeathed to the Guildhall by Ellery Yale Wood, the prolific children’s book collector. Wood had been collecting the items for decades, storing them in her home in Wisbech, Lincolnshire, which had a warehouse attached to house her staggering collection of children’s books. Most of the items in the exhibition come from this collection.
Here are some of the treasures on display.
‘An old ballad of Whittington and his cat’ printed between 1754 and 1780 in Aldermary Church-Yard …
Three histories of Whittington printed and sold c. 1790. The one on the right includes ‘… the adventures of his cat’ :
One of my favourites …
The cat case …
Such a diverse collection …
An ‘untearable’ children’s book from 1860 …
In Pantoland!
A shaped German book from the 1940s …
The story in three dimensions …
It’s a fabulous exhibition, my pictures illustrate only a tiny part of it. But hurry along if you want to visit, it closes in a few weeks on 21 August.
For more Whittington and cat click here for my 2021 blog A trip to Highgate in search of a famous cat.
If you have time after visiting the library, pop in downstairs to see the fantastic City models at the London Centre …
You can read more here in my May 2024 blog.
Here are a few other images I took recently.
The City skyline from London Bridge Pier …
New developments loom over the old Billingsgate Market fish weather vane and attendant dolphins …
HMS Belfast with the Tower of London in the background …
Meanwhile, back at the Barbican, Mrs Moorhen and her fluffy baby …
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