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Wednesday 29 June 2022

The best bookshop in the universe?


Northumberland break 15

Barter Books in Alnwick is the stuff of legend, and somehow - unaccountably - I had never been, so I was determined to put that right this time. It certainly lives up to its reputation. Housed in what used to be Alnwick's Victorian railway station (which closed in 1968), it buys and sells secondhand books. It is the general quirkiness of the place and its wonderful atmosphere that make it stand-out extraordinary - and it has a huge selection of books too, from children's literature to rare volumes, through everything in between. It has open fires, comfortable chairs, reading nooks, kids' toys and a very unhurried, un-pressured ambience. 


There are quotes from books painted above the shelves and, in a nod to its railway station origins, various model trains wind their way continually round the shop above the bookshelves (as you can perhaps see in the top photo).



Its railway station past is clear - from the glass canopied roof to the waiting rooms with their fireplaces and wonderful tiles, traces of the platforms and the well (now filled in) where the tracks ran. That is if you can keep your eyes away from the multitude of enticing titles on the shelves! 

There are colourful artworks too, including one by Peter Dodd that shows many famous writers. (There is a key to who they are, on the website - see HERE) . 


It also has a very good 'station buffet' serving food and drinks, so that you (by which I mean I... 😉) could happily spend the entire day there, browsing. I came away with a small but eclectic pile of beautiful books, including a Penguin paperback of 'Bonjour Tristesse' by Francoise Sagan (originally retailing at 2s/6d) which I last read when I was at school; 'The Book of Joy', a conversation between the Dalai Lama and Desmond Tutu; 'Eight Feet in the Andes' by the (recently deceased) travel writer Dervla Murphy; a memoir by Joan Bakewell and a couple of novels. Alas, I did eventually have to leave, to come home. But I will go back!   


7 comments:

  1. Ah, now that's somewhere I'd love to go! It's a much bigger station than many of our small towns have, so I'd imagine a small city at least. Great use of old building. Fabulous signage! Wonderful mural!

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  2. Best bookshop? Very probably. I can guarantee that it's certainly the best place to spend a wet afternoon in Alnwick.

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  3. What a wonderful place. I would be there a long time too.

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  4. What a great bookstore. And I have put Eight Feet in the Andes on order, having only recently read of her death, and never having read her. So thanks for the reminder on that. Such an elegant place, and I guess it has to be subsidized in some way - surely selling books wouldn't pay it's way. These days.

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  5. I have lots of books which when I die will presumably sold for a song, or given away. That is how these second-hand bookshops manage to financially survive.

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