Skip To Content

    These Delightful Book-Themed Benches Are Popping Up All Over London

    For the National Literary Trust's "Books about Town" project. Bookish-bums have never had it so good.

    To promote literacy, the "Books about Town" project is bringing 50 unique BookBench sculptures to London.

    A collaboration between the National Literacy Trust and Wild in Art, the BookBenches feature stories linked to London.

    The benches are based on a range of iconic books such as The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, Peter Pan, 1984 and The Day of the Triffids.

    Artist Ralph Steadman, who illustrated Lewis Caroll’s Through the Looking Glass in 1973, has reproduced his work for the project.

    Visitors can discover the BookBenches by following literary trails in Greenwich, City of London, Riverside and Bloomsbury, until mid-September.

    On 7 October, the BookBenches will be auctioned to raise funds for the National Literacy Trust to tackle illiteracy in deprived communities across the UK.

    For more info, head to the Books About Town website, or follow @booksabouttown on Twitter.

    People are already sharing pictures of the benches on Instagram and Twitter on the #bookbench tag.

    So head out this weekend and get involved.

    You can visit Narnia.

    Found one! *\(^o^)/* @BooksaboutTown #bookbenches #London

    Or take a trip to 1984.

    1984 on the Bloomsbury trail @BooksaboutTown @Wild_in_Art 50 super benches around @Londonist

    You can hang out with Aslan.

    Or read quietly with Shakespeare.

    Have you seen the Shakespeare-inspired bench on #Bankside? Created by @BooksaboutTown to promote literacy.

    Just try not to squash Paddington when you sit down.