On Friday, October 2, Dua Lipa was in Porto and visited the library of banned and censored books that her book club, Service95, opened in June at Livraria Lello. It’s the perfect excuse to go back to January 13, 1906, the day the building on Rua das Carmelitas was inaugurated—a building that has been a National Monument since February .
The History of Lello Bookstore
From Chardron to Lello
Before becoming Lello, the bookstore had a different owner and a different name. It was founded in 1869 by a Frenchman, Ernesto Chardron. In 1894, the business was taken over by José Pinto de Sousa Lello, who worked with his brother as a partner. The store would eventually become known as Lello & Irmão.
The 1906 Building
For its new location at No. 144 Rua das Carmelitas, the brothers chose a design by engineer Francisco Xavier Esteves. From the outside, the façade is Neo-Gothic. Inside, Eça de Queiroz and Camilo Castelo Branco are among the writers depicted in the busts on the pillars. There is also the famous staircase and, on the ceiling, a stained-glass window bearing the Latin motto “Decus in Labore.”
The Myth of Harry Potter
For years, it was said that Lello’s staircase had inspired Hogwarts, since J.K. Rowling lived in Porto in the early 1990s. The author denied this on Twitter on May 21, 2020: she had never set foot in the bookstore and didn’t even know it existed.
A National Monument since 2026
Lello had already been a Monument of Public Interest since 2013, and this year it was upgraded. The prime minister announced the reclassification on the bookstore’s 120th anniversary, and Decree No. 11/2026, dated February 27, officially designated it a National Monument.
Dua Lipa’s Library
The Manifesto Library opened on June 27 in the bookstore’s new auditorium, designed by Álvaro Siza Vieira. It brings together 100 books that have been banned, censored, or contested in various countries, organized into four themes: power, control, voice, and memory. This is the first time the singer’s book club has had a physical, permanent home, and, according to SOL, the space is now part of the bookstore tour.
While visiting Porto, the singer interviewed Chinese artist Ai Weiwei—who lives in the Alentejo—about his book *On Censorship*. On social media, Dua Lipa wrote that it was an honor to become part of that library’s history.
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