From rare bookshops and floating bookshops to hidden bookshops and I-could-spend-all-my-time-and-money-here bookshops, London certainly isn’t short of places to go if you want to find yet another title to add your ever-growing to-be-read pile. But if it’s the oldest book shop you’re looking for; then you need to pay a visit to Hatchards.
The venerable bookshop has occupied a spot on Piccadilly for over 225 years where innumerable satisfied customers have strode through Hatchards’ glorious green frontage and lost themselves in a book over the years. It’s even been visited by the Royal Family, and there’s not really a greater accolade than getting the royal seal of approval, is there?
Having opened in 1797, Hatchards is almost as old as the USA (and exactly as old as the top hat, FYI), and has sat happily at its Piccadilly address since 1801. From the outside, it’s invitingly retro, with curving bay windows and one of their trio of Royal Warrants displayed above the entrance. That’s right, this place proudly displays Royal Warrants from not one, not two, but three different members of the UK’s most famous family (one of which is from King Charles III himself). What we’re saying is that Hatchards is quite literally fit for a King.
Inside, the shop is dominated by a grand, four-storey staircase, leading you up the various literature-filled levels. The interior decor trends towards the “Waterstones functional” rather than the “beautifully historic” – although that’s unsurprising, given that Hatchards is actually owned by Waterstones. Still, little nods to the shop’s past are dotted around the shelves; aside from the Royal Warrants, there are historic photographs, old catalogues, and an anonymous painting that’s assumed to be of founder John Hatchard.
Pretty as it is, we’re obviously here for the books and in that department, Hatchards doesn’t disappoint, with everything from modern bestsellers to arcane histories on the shelves. Most excitingly, the shop boasts an array of first editions from the likes of Margaret Atwood, Samuel Beckett, Ted Hughes, DH Lawrence, and Iris Murdoch. The regular parade of book signings and author events means that you can also pick up signed copies on a regular basis which is always a bonus.
In case you were wondering, Hatchards is also eligible for the award of “longest wait before opening a second branch” (if that award was, you know, a thing). In 2014, just a mere… 217 years after opening, they finally cut the ribbon on a second location in St Pancras station, for those travellers looking for a holiday read.
In an age dominated by Netflix, ebooks, and decreasing attention spans; there really is nothing better than finding a cosy bookshop nook to get stuck into your next read, so here’s hoping Hatchards has another 200 years in them.