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A new library described as 'an encyclopaedia of
women's history' is to open in Whitechapel on Tuesday 5th February.
The Women's library will open its door in the stunningly redesigned
Whitechapel Public Baths and Wash House a listed Victorian building
in Old Castle Street.
The Women's library was established in 1926 and
houses one of the most extensive collections of female-oriented
literature in the country. It is only now the collection can be
accessed by the public and not just academics. The collection comprises
of an extensive collection of books, posters, magazines, photographs
and other objects that celebrate the lives of the women they document.
To celebrate the opening of the library, 50 distinguished
commentators have chosen from the library's huge archive to create
an exhibition called 'Cooks and Campaigners'. At the centre of the
exhibition is a study of the women's fight for the vote told through
display of medals, letters, photographs and other paraphernalia.
This will be the first in a series of exhibitions
showcasing the breadth and quality of this new library. 'Cooks and
Campaigners' provides a unique insight into a whole host of subjects
defining our post-feminist era, from the suffragette movement to
cookery and fashion. Highlights of the exhibition include, Cherie
Booth QC telling the story of Helen Normanton QC, the first woman
to be admitted as a bar student who had to fight to keep her name
when she married and Isabella blow and Mary Quant musing on fashion
magazines and style through the ages.
The Woman's Library opens on Tuesday 5th February
and can be found at Calcutta House Old Castle Street London E1 7HT
Call the library on 0207 7320 1189 for library and
exhibition opening times.
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