London has many architectural delights in the form of the prettiest pubs, seductive streets, and, beautiful bookshops. Heck, we’ve even got a gorgeous street full of bookshops. We’ve even got one on a boat.
Well, back in 1797, while the first marmalade recipe was invented, and toilets with payable locks were being implemented in a London first, Hatchards flung its lavish doors open to world.
After setting up at the end of the 1700’s, the bookshop moved after a few years to its current shop in 1801, and hasn’t moved since. The revered bookshop will be 230 years old in 2027; if those walls could talk, think of the stories! Across five floors, the Georgian-era bookshop stocks everything a book lover could dream of, with a dedicated focus on high literature, royal history, and with its prestigious reputation, is a hotspot to find exclusives – such as signed rare editions, and even (with help from a dedicated, knowledgeable team), track down rare or out-of-print editions.
From the outside, its storefront at 187 Piccadilly is a regal affair. One of its two Royal Warrants are displayed on the first floor exterior, proudly above its jet-black doorway, alongside a duo of elegantly draped Union Jack flags. We heard that King Charles III himself issued one of the Warrants, though this might just be an unfounded rumour.
The interior is modern and functional, with clean white walls, decorative chandeliers and recessed white lighting, plus an airy simplicity found in similar chain bookshops (shout out to Charing Cross Road’s Foyles, my favourite). Don’t let me fool you, the place feels classic: it’s all about winding curved wooden staircases, patterned carpets, and chunky dark wooden bookshelves, housing pristine-perfect book spines in endless rows.
Authors themselves adore the bookshop, thus pop on by in droves, and kindly give Hatchards an upper-hand by signing their books, some are often cheeky first editions. I heard that somewhere in the shop in an unattributed portrait of a man, rumoured to be John Hatchard, the founder, who was simultaneously known for his work as an anti-slavery campaigner.
They branched (ha) out for the first time in 2014, after 217 years in business. A second shop, also selling chic and classy gifts, opened in St Pancras station. Hatchards’ glassy, modern transparent shopfront contrasts gorgeously with their signature cursive logo above the door.
Their third, latest branch opened in 2022, in Gloucestershire’s leafy market town, Cheltenham. Both Piccadilly and Cheltenham hold regular events, such as book clubs, literary soirees, and author signings.
With High Streets slowly shifting online, seeing shops closing-up, it’s a beacon of hope that literary stalwarts like Hatchards have weathered every sort of storm going. It’s a testament to their longevity, and I hope we can still pop in when AI has run amuck, and return to normality for a minute, curling up with a good book.