The Idler Academy

In London’s Westbourne Park, a delightful and unusual institution has emerged: The Idler Academy,  – that combines a coffee-house with a bookshop and school. This is how the academy describes itself:  In Ancient Greece, the word for school, scholee, also meant ‘leisure’. Education was a pleasure; it was a privilege freely chosen by the freeborn citizens of Athens. The Idler Academy wants to bring this spirit of cultivated leisure to the 21st century, and cross it with the lively atmosphere of an 18th century coffeehouse. We will sell a wide range of new and secondhand books, largely educational in nature. We will serve excellent coffee and hot chocolate. We will sell games, curios and Idler clothes. We will provide delicious cakes. We will teach courses in academic and practical subjects, from Latin to embroidery, from book-keeping to ukulele, from life-drawing to herb growing. This is a place to read, think, debate and learn, to sharpen your mind and learn creative skills. Above all, we seek liberty, and our Latin motto, libertas per cultum, means ‘freedom through education’. See their website for details of Wednesday lectures, Thursday Merriments, and more.