Evening of festive drinks at the preserved 1690s townhouse of Samuel Johnson on Gough Square.
Dr Johnson's House is hosting Christmas Lates on Thursday 19 November, an evening of festive drinks and celebration in the heart of Holborn. It's a late-night opening at the home of Samuel Johnson, so you can raise a glass in the very house where he lived.
If you've never been, the house is at 17 Gough Square, a preserved 1690s townhouse that's survived more than 300 years of near misses, including the Blitz. It's spread across five floors and still holds original features from the Age of Enlightenment, including a rather quirky anti-burglary device. It's also been a home to children since 1752, when eight-year-old Francis Barber came to live there with Johnson.
Johnson himself is the reason the house is a landmark. Born the son of a Lichfield bookseller, he walked to London in 1737 in search of fame and fortune. Fortune stayed out of reach, but fame arrived in 1755 with his Dictionary of the English Language, which earned him the nickname 'Dictionary Johnson'. He's one of the English language's greatest figures, and he famously declared, 'When a man is tired of London, he is tired of life.'
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The evening runs from 5.30pm to 7pm, so it's a post-work thing rather than a late one, and tickets are £22.
Date
Thursday, 19 November 2026
17:30
Price
Paid
Recommended Age
+18 years
