No-one has officially stayed the night at St Paul’s Cathedral since World War II. Photo / Airbnb
Travellers have a once-in-a-lifetime chance to stay a night in St Paul’s Cathedral, which has not been done since World War II.
Even better? The overnight stay will cost just £7 ($14.55).
More specifically, guests will stay in the Hidden Library, a room tucked at the top of the cathedral’s famous geometric staircase, through a hidden set of doors, which hide 22,000 books.
Just two lucky bookworms will get the opportunity through Airbnb, which has created the event in celebration of World Book Day. During the stay, guests will be hosted by famous TikToker Abby Parker, who shares book-related videos under the name @abbysbooks, and get the chance to read not-yet-released novels from Penguin Random House United States.
This will be the first time people have officially stayed the night in the cathedral since WWII when volunteers kept watch over the building during bomb raids.
Upon entering the cathedral, guests will be shown the Hidden Library and then greeted by the Dean of St Paul’s for a tour of the building. Following some time to sit in the library and enjoy upcoming books from Penguin House US, guests will enjoy dinner at a nearby restaurant and then return for their sleep.
The following morning involves breakfast then a walk around the beautiful dome of St Paul’s Cathedral to wrap up the stay.
As a treat, guests will also receive signed copies of unreleased books such as Camino Ghosts by John Grisham, Kevin Kwan’s Lies and Weddings or Holly Jackson’s The Reappearance of Rachel Price.
Bookings open on March 12 at 11 pm at airbnb.com/hiddenlibrary, however, only one lucky bibliophile will be chosen to stay, with the option to bring a plus one.
The stay will take place on Friday, March 15.
Parker’s announcement video about the Airbnb collaboration has received more than 76,000 views since being posted yesterday. Dozens of people commented, describing the stay as ‘amazing’, ‘epic’ and ‘a dream’.
One book-lover joked that the bed was an unnecessary part of the stay.
“My question is why is there a bed? Let’s be real no bookworm would actually sleep in this room they’ll spend the whole night reading,” they wrote.
St Paul’s Cathedral library has recently gone through a major restoration but has always been something of a ‘hidden gem’ according to the director of visitor engagement, Sandra Lynes.
“The recently restored library at St Paul’s has long been a secret gem of the cathedral – cleverly concealed by the ingenious architecture of Christopher Wren,” she said.
Meanwhile, Penguin Random House US’ director of brand strategy, Alyssa Castaneda, said it truly was a celebration of those who love books.
“From exploring the secret corners of the cathedral and summiting the famous dome, to reading their way through Penguin Random House US’s upcoming releases, this once-in-a-lifetime experience is the stuff of fairytales,” she said.
