Neilson Hays Library

The Neilson Hays Library is a historic English-language private membership library located at 195 Surawong Road in the Surawong area of Bang Rak, Bangkok. Established in 1869 and housed since 1922 in a neoclassical building designed by Italian architect Mario Tamagno, it is Bangkok's oldest English-language library. Notable for its domed rotunda, original teak furnishings, tranquil garden, and role as a cultural venue hosting exhibitions, talks and events.

Visitors can expect a tranquil, historic library set in a white neoclassical building with a domed rotunda, surrounded by a shaded garden in central Bangkok. Inside are teak bookshelves, reading rooms with over 20,000 English-language books, and a gallery space for rotating art exhibitions. A café overlooks the garden, and the venue hosts talks, workshops and cultural events. Non-members can visit the café, garden and gallery, while library borrowing requires membership or a day pass.

Founded in 1869 by a group of American and British women, originally as part of the Bangkok Ladies' Library Association. The present building was commissioned in 1921 and completed in 1922, designed by Italian architect Mario Tamagno, architect of the Ananta Samakhom Throne Hall. It was funded by Dr. Thomas Heyward Hays in memory of his wife Jennie Neilson Hays, who had been active in the library. The building retains its original neoclassical design, domed rotunda and teak interiors.

As Bangkok's oldest English-language library, it serves as an important cultural and literary hub for the expatriate and Thai English-reading community. It functions as a community centre for literature, education and the arts, hosting exhibitions, lectures, book clubs and children's programs, and preserves a rare example of early 20th-century neoclassical architecture in central Bangkok.