St Paul's Cathedral secret library to allow £7 overnight stay

There should be plenty of bedtime reading material in the library, which hosts a collection of more than 22,000 books

The historic London landmark of St Paul's Cathedral is making a "secret" hidden library available for a "once-in-a-lifetime" overnight stay to mark World Book Day, at a cost of just £7.

Two guests will be able to stay in the hidden room overnight on 15 March.

It will be the first time someone has officially slept inside the cathedral since World War Two, when volunteers stayed to put out fires during bombing.

The library contains a collection of more than 22,000 books.

St Paul's says the recently restored library is a "secret gem"

During the one-off stay, the two guests will enter the cathedral through the Dean's door and climb the spiral staircase, designed by English architect Sir Christopher Wren more than 300 years ago.

They will also be welcomed to the venue by the Dean and receive a tour of the historic Cathedral, including a climb of its famous dome.

• 360 video: St Paul's Cathedral

Sandra Lynes Timbrell, director of visitor engagement at St Paul's, said: "The recently restored library is a secret gem of the cathedral - cleverly concealed by the ingenious architecture of Sir Christopher Wren.

"Some very fortunate guests will now get the chance to delve deeper into the history and wonder of St Paul's with this truly one-of-a-kind stay."

The stay, which is said to include dinner and breakfast, will be available to book through Airbnb from 12 March.

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