Brilliant Bookshops: Books on the Hill, St Albans

Taking its name from Britain’s first saint, St Albans is a city in Hertfordshire, known in Roman times as Verulamium. Full of history, it is easy to walk round and offers plenty to discover with museums, the Cathedral and Roman remains to enjoy.

The city also offers some fairly steep hills to walk up and down, one of which, Holywell Hill, is home to Books on the Hill, a quite gorgeous, old-fashioned gem of a bookshop, a book-lover’s dream! First opened in 2019, it offers a warm, inviting space to browse for your next book, whilst allowing you to imagine you are snug in your own timeless library, safe from the world outside.

Full of quirky details, the shop is on two floors, but as I was almost knee deep in mud, I only ventured into the ground floor. Here, there are two rooms- a Green Room and a Red Room, each with their own distinct character. Comfy chairs and tempting displays make this a shop to linger in…

On the first floor is Reading Room Cafes and the Daphne du Maurier collection and vintage and antiquarian books. I will be returning to visit this floor as the du Maurier exhibition contains a collection of personal effects owned by that lady and now displayed here. The Reading Rooms not only act as a cafe on some days, but can be booked for events.

With an active programme of events, Book on the Hill is a thriving bookshop which is a joy to visit!

Books on the Hill

1, Holywell Hill,

St Albans

AL1 1ER