Founded in 1793 as a ‘conversation club’ The Literary & Philosophical Society houses over
150,000 books. The Society held various groundbreaking demonstrations of new technology, such as George Stephenson’s miners’ safety lamp in 1815.
The current building was opened in 1825 and is Grade II* Listed. The lecture theatre was the first public room to be lit by electric light, during a lecture by Sir Joseph Swan in 1880. Past members include Sir William Armstrong, Thomas Bewick, John Dobson, Richard Grainger, Charles 2nd Earl Grey, Robert Stephenson, Joseph Swan and Neil Tennant.
