Tucked behind Waterloo Station lies a building with a surprising history — once a free library, now a vibrant community hub. This corner of London has witnessed more than just trains and commuters; it has inspired literary giants and borne silent witness stories. This tale of libraries and breakfasts reveals a hidden layer of Waterloo’s past.
A Tale of Libraries and Breakfasts just behind Waterloo Station the former free library which sits at the top of Lower Marsh in Waterloo (now a community hub known as the Waterloo Action Centre) was donated to the people of the area 1893 through a fund connected to the publisher, John Noble.
Philanthropic Origins of Lambeth Libraries
It’s one of a number of Lambeth libraries in the borough of Lambeth with philanthropic origins. Brixton Library (1892), and its sisters in South Lambeth Road (1888) and Streatham High Road (1890), were all donated by Victorian sugar magnate Henry Tate.
The Durning Library (1898) on Kennington Lane was gifted by Jemima Durning Smith, daughter of a wealthy Manchester cotton merchant. The Carnegie in Herne Hill (1906) was one of over 160 public libraries that a Scottish American millionaire philanthropist donated during his lifetime.
The Literary Connection — George Orwell
The former Waterloo library has connections with a giant of British literature. It was here in the reading room that George Orwell worked on the manuscript of his 1933 expose of poverty and homelessness ‘Down and Out in Paris and London‘.
Orwell was living in Tooley Street near London Bridge at the time. The book itself contains an entire chapter set in Waterloo, giving vivid insights into what life was like in the area in the 1930s based on Orwell’s own experiences posing as someone who was down on his luck.
Having worked as a casual kitchen porter in a Paris hotel, Orwell had returned from France to Tilbury Dock, travelling on a third class ticket and sleeping in the boat’s saloon with twenty seven men and sixteen women, who like him couldn’t afford to pay extra for a bunk.
On arrival he spent most of the small amount of money he had on a cheap hotel and then headed to Waterloo in the morning. He says in the book ‘To sell my clothes I went down into Lambeth, where the people are poor and there’s lots of rag shops‘.
Historical Poverty and Social Commentary
His plan was to trade in his second hand suit in one of these rag shops for some clothing that would help him pass himself off as someone who was homeless and penniless. He hoped to earn at least £1 as part of the trade off help to tide him over, but after three failed attempts at different Waterloo rag shops he settled for a shilling, and a pair of dungarees, accompanied by a ragged coat and scarf.
He wandered the streets in his tramping clothes till at eleven that night when a man, who appeared to be a sailor, directed him to a rundown doss house on Waterloo Road where he was told he could get a bed for the night for a shilling.
The place was a hovel, with hard mattresses, filthy sheets, and other residents who coughed and displayed other dreadful ailments throughout the night. He left swiftly in the morning, crossing over the bridge and making his way eastwards to Tower Hill where he bought a cheap breakfast consisting of two slices of bread and a cup of tea.
Shared Experiences Across Time
Orwell had drawn inspiration from an earlier expose of poverty and homelessness in London. ‘The People of the Abyss’ was penned by American author and adventurer Jack London in 1902. It was the beginning of the Edwardian era and Edward’s Coronation was about to take place when Jack London had crossed the Atlantic to the city that bore his name.
His intention was to pose as an out of work sailor, in order to immerse himself into the world of the city’s poor and wretched, to live as they lived, and experience directly what they experienced. Like Orwell thirty years later London describes in ‘The People of the Abyss’ how he traded in his suit for second hand clothing in a rag shop. The work is often described as a study of the East End, but the West End also features, as does Maidstone, when London participates in the annual working class exodus to the hop picking fields of Kent.
He also visits Waterloo. As with ‘Down and Out in Paris and London’ an entire chapter depicts events that unfold in what London refers to as the Surrey side of the Thames. He came to Waterloo after spending a rainy night sleeping rough in Green Park. In the morning he hears that if he makes his way to the Salvation Army Citadel on Blackfriars Road he will be able to get a free breakfast.
In his rain sodden clothes he trudges along The Mall and The Strand, over Waterloo Bridge and along Waterloo Road. When he reaches the Salvation Army he finds Blackfriars Road crammed with hungry and homeless men and boys awaiting their chance for a free breakfast.
They are held on the pavement for two hours before being allowed into a courtyard for another hour. Once they are allowed into the dining area they have to wait another hour while religious sermons are delivered. When breakfast is finally served London is crestfallen to find that it consists of a meagre two slices of bread in a paper bag accompanied by a weak cup of tea.
It can’t be a coincidence that Orwell chose the exact same items for breakfast after his own experiences in Waterloo, nor that he says he took directions to the doss house from someone who appeared to be dressed as a sailor. He was clearly giving a nod to the pioneering work that inspired him to follow in Jack London’s footsteps.
Transformation of Place Over Time
These days there are plenty of places to get a more substantial breakfast in Waterloo. A short walk from the Library toward the opposite end of Lower Marsh you will find the Chunnel Bar (a name harks back to the 1990s when Waterloo was the London Eurostar terminus). Still run as a family business you can savour the delights of a full English breakfast and other variations with generous portions at reasonable prices.
Follow the footsteps of Jack London and George Orwell through the streets of London and discover the places that shaped their writing — and their lives.
👉 Book a In the Footsteps of Jack London guided walk with David
