I have prepared a list of 20 bookstores and literary places in London that every bibliophile should visit. I tried to put them in the order based on their proximity to each other. Undeniably London has always had an immense significance as a literary hub and provided so much inspiration to many writers and artists. I hope you will find this list below of use and interest. Please feel free to share your own recommendations in the comment section so we can expand the list of literary places and bookstores worth visiting.
1 WATERSTONES PICCADILLY
Waterstones Piccadilly is a great place to visit and it is the biggest bookstore in Europe with books spread over five floors. Some time ago I recorded a little video of my visit to Watersones Piccadilly. During my visit it was extremely busy and crowded so the footage is not the best, but I hope this video will give you an idea how it looks inside.
2 THE LONDON LIBRARY
If you are ever in London and visiting Waterstones Piccadilly, I’d also highly recommend you a visit to The London Library (not to be confused with the British Library) which is just a few minutes’ walk away from Waterstones and it is located in 14 St James’s Square, London SW1Y 4LG.
3 HATCHARDS BOOKSTORE
Just nearby there is also the oldest bookstore in London called Hatchards, located in 187 Piccadilly, St. James’s, London W1J 9LE (closest Underground station: Piccadilly Circus and Green Park). It’s literally 5 minutes’ walk from Waterstones Piccadilly. It’s worth just popping in there for a few minutes as the building is one of the most beautiful ones in Central London. Hatchards is London’s oldest bookshop, established in 1797 and has been occupying the same building for over two centuries.
4 HEYWOOD HILL BOOKSTORE
Also nearby there is a small bookstore called Heywood Hill where famously Nancy Mitford worked during the 1940s. Heywood Hill is located in 10 Curzon Street, London W1J 5HH (the nearest underground station: Green Park). In less than an hour you can visit Waterstones Piccadilly, Sotheranos, Hatchards and Heywood Hill.
5 DAUNT BOOKSTORE
I would also recommend a visit to the most beautiful bookstore in London called Daunt Bookstore located in 83 Marylebone High Street, London W1U 4QW (closest Underground station: Baker Street, Bond Street or Marble Arch Station).
6 SHERLOCK HOLMES MUSEUM
While there you can also visit Sherlock Holmes Museum located in 221b Baker Street, London NW1 6XE. It’s just 15 minutes ‘ walk away from Daunt Bookstore.
7 WATERSTONES GOWER STREET
Another gem I would highly recommend is Waterstones in 82 Gower Street, WC1E 6EQ (closest Underground station: Gower Street, Warren Street, Euston Square, Euston Station, King’s Cross Station or Tottenham Court Road Station). The Gothic building in which this Waterstones is located is just breathtaking and the variety of books on offer will make every bibliophile happy. This is also one of Europe’s largest second-hand bookshops which spreads over three floors of grade II listed building
8 WELCOME COLLECTION
While there, you can pop in to Welcome Collection and relax in their Reading Room (the entry is free). It’s located in 183 Euston Road and just opposite the British Library.
9 WORD ON THE WATER
Just 20 minutes’ walk from Welcome Collection there is another unique bookshop called Word on the Water which is located on a barge usually residing on Regent’s Canal behind the King’s Cross station at Granary Square.
10 FOYLES
While visiting Waterstones in Gower Street, you can also visit Foyles in 107 Charing Cross Road, London, WC2H 0DT (closest Underground station: Tottenham Court Road Station). There are five floors filled with books and a lovely cafe on the 5 or 6th floor. Established in 1903 this is one of my favourite bookstores – it’s very modern. The video below includes a visit to Foyles which you might find interesting.
11 LONDON REVIEW BOOKSHOP
Also, London Review Bookshop is worth visiting when you walking from Gower Street towards Foyles in Charing Cross Road. They have many interesting events and meetings with writers on a regular basis. There is also a lovely cafe with a nice courtyard where you can relax after doing some sightseeing. It’s located in 14 Bury Place, London WC1A 2JL (closest Underground station: Holborn Station, Tottenham Court Road Station or Russell Square Station) which is literally next to the British Museum.
12 ANY AMOUNT OF BOOKS and 14 HENRY PORDES BOOKS
If you walk down Charing Cross Road from Foyles you will be able to visit many second hand bookstores including famous Any Amount of Books in 54 Charing Cross Road and Henry Pordes Books in 72 Charing Cross Road.
13 84 CHARING CROSS ROAD (the former site of Mark & Co Bookstore)
If you are a bibliophile you should be familiar with a beautiful book by Helene Hanff called 84 Charing Cross Road. Marks & Co was a antiquarian bookshop featured in this book. Mark & Co opened in 1920s and closed in 1970. Today there is a plaque on the building in which Marks & Co Bookshop was once based. These days the building is occupied by a well-known fast food restaurant and there is no trace of the bookshop but it is an interesting place to see and it used to be frequented by the likes of Charlie Chaplin and George Bernard Shaw.
14 GOLDSBORO BOOKS
Walking down Charing Cross Road you should reach Leicester Square Station and from there it is a one minute’ walk to Cecil Court – a street with many old bookstores and antiques shops including Goldsboro Books .
15 SOTHERANOS RARE BOOKS AND PRINTS
On the same street there is Sotheranos Rare Books and Prints located in 8 Cecil Court, London WC2N 4HE which was founded in York in 1761 and established its presence in London in 1815. It is a beautiful antiquarian bookstore and a lovely place to visit just for the space it occupies.
16 LIBRERIA
If you are ever near Liverpool Street Station or Shoreditch in London I would also highly recommend a visit to Libreria located in 65 Hanbury St, London, E1 5JP.
17 CLOSE-UP FILM CENTRE
Established in 2005 Close-Up makes film culture and history accessible through its cinema programmes and Library and is the most comprehensive independent film resource in London. The reason why I include this place on the list of literary places is its Library which consists of a collection of over 26,000 films, books, digital media and online publications, ranging from early cinema, classics, experimental cinema, artist moving image and documentaries. Close-up is located next to Brick Lane, 97 Sclater Street, London E1 6HR. They have a great range of events dedicated to independent cinema and books.
18 DENNIS SEVERS’ HOUSE
It is a great idea to combine the visit to Libreria with a visit to Brick Lane and to Dennis Severs’ House in 18 Folgate Street, Spitalfields, London E1 6BX. Dennis Severs’ House is a time capsule into the 18th and 19th century world of a family of Huguenot silk-weavers. Through sights, smells and sounds of the house you explore the lives of one family across the generations. They have special tours over Christmas period which is worth booking if you happen to be around in London. I would also encourage you to read about Dennis Severs himself as he was a very unique human being and he left something special for all of us to enjoy. Dennis Severs’ House is located near Spitalfields Market and just a few minutes’ walk from Brick Lane with all its vintage shops.
19 FOSTER BOOKS
If you are ever in Chiswick, West London, you should visit Foster Books located in 183 Chiswick High Road London W4 2DR which is housed in the 18th century bow windowed building and is the oldest shop on Chiswick High Road.
20 JOHN SANDOE BOOKS
Also, another bookstore worth visiting is John Sandoe Books located in 10 – 12 Blacklands Terrace, Chelsea, London, SW3 2SR which is West Central London. It is a beautiful independent bookstore operating since 1957.
I hope you will find this list of literary places and bookstores in London of interest. You can spend the whole day visiting Central London Bookstores. It is always worth checking if the given bookstore has some events you can attend including meetings with your favourite writers. If you ever visit London, I hope you will enjoy your literary explorations of this city.
