Calling all bookworms, collectors, bibliophiles, and antiquarians, we’ve got your next day out in London sorted… Right around the corner from one of our capital’s busiest areas, is a hidden literary gem that you won’t want to miss.
Packed with twenty-odd secondhand bookshops and antique booksellers, Cecil Court is a paradise for literature lovers. It’s more than just an impressive number of stores packed into one space, though. The shop fronts haven’t changed for over a century, so a walk through Cecil Court is like a trip back in time.
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Inside the stores, you’ll find everything from rare books and first editions to old stamps, maps, posters, and banknotes. It’s thought to be the thoroughfare that inspired Harry Potter’s Diagon Alley. With its eccentric shops – some of which are even associated with magical or psychic literature – it’s easy to believe!
Cecil Court through history
How about this for some cultural pedigree: Cecil Court was the temporary home of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart while he was touring Europe at the age of eight. The Mozart family stayed with a barber named John Couzin, and tickets for Mozart’s first London concerts were sold from his shop. There’s even a blue plaque to commemorate his very brief tenancy. After all, we Londoners love a cheeky claim to fame. There are even rumours that it was while he was staying at Cecil Court that Mozart composed his first symphony. Alas, we’ll never know for sure… but it sure makes for a good story!
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Cecil Court was also the business centre of the early British film industry, and therefore earned itself the second nickname, Flicker Alley. The first film-related company opened in 1897, and Cecil Court quickly became known as the place to buy or hire films. Pioneers of early British cinema Cecil Hepworth and James Williamson had offices on the street, alongside many international companies. During this time, all sorts of businesses opened along the alley; from equipment shops and rental companies to foreign film dealers, and companies specialising in cinema confectionery.
Nowadays, it’s simply a stunning, and distinctive, shopping street in London. Whether you’re after classic books, or antique coins, or need to supplement your art collection, you’ll find a suitable shop on Cecil Court. There’s even a store dedicated to all things Alice In Wonderland!
📍 You’ll find Cecil Court just off Charing Cross Road, leading to St Martin’s Lane. The nearest station is Leicester Square.