Brilliant Bookshops: Hatchards, Cheltenham

I love Hatchards, London's oldest bookshop, established in 1797 by John Hatchard. It has an ‘old world’ charm and is full of personality so when I was at the Cheltenham Literary Festival in October, I was delighted to find that a new branch had just opened in the town- their first outside of London. Located on the Promenade, which was laid out in 1818 as a tree-lined avenue from the Colonnade in the High Street to the Sherborne Spa (on the site of the Queen's Hotel), Hatchards Cheltenham is housed in what used to be the Jack Wills shop (many hours spent in there with my son!), a shop with many beautiful period features, including decorated skylights. The new branch has a strong focus on history, art, biography and coffee-table books.

And the most has been made of these features to give a very individual feeling to the shop. The shop is a bright, welcoming space, its white bookcases with their library ladders tempting readers to explore the wonderful selection on offer. The children’s department is at the back of the shop and is just as lovely as the rest!

A little nook has been used for children’s non-fiction texts, making a pleasant space to browse these titles whilst a wide range of fiction for all ages is arranged on the lovely wooden shelves in the main areas. An excellent selection of picture books- both hard and paper back - is on offer with plenty of space to explore and enjoy each in the search for a new favourite!

Full of old world charm and character, Hatchards is packed with a wonderful selectin of books. Well worth a visit!

Hatchards

88 The Promenade,

Cheltenham GL50 1NB