Brilliant Bookshops: The Wallingford Bookshop

Wallingford is a delightful market town, full of independent shops and steeped in history. Used as a location for ‘Midsummer Murders’, the town was also loved by Agatha Christie, who lived in a Georgian property here until she died in 1976. Wallingford Museum in the High Street has a permanent Agatha Christie exhibition which I have visited previously; however, today, the purpose of my trip was to start celebrating Independent Bookshop Week by dropping in to The Wallingford Bookshop.

Tucked away down St Martin’s Street, The Wallingford Bookshop is obviously a much-loved feature of this town. As I made my way along the road, a little boy was telling his mother about how much he enjoyed visiting - and was very disappointed that they were not going in today!

The shop is a lovely space, managing to be crammed full of books without feeling cluttered. (A delivery had just arrived before my visit which is why there are boxes in my picture!) It boasts a very comprehensive children’s section which was an absolute joy to browse, with graphic novels, non-fiction, picture books and a wide range of novels.

Even though they were obviously busy, the staff were friendly and helpful- and obviously very knowledgeable! Customers were given a warm welcome and then allowed to browse in peace, enjoying the wealth of choice on offer. Even though my TBR pile resembles the Leaning Tower of Pisa, I chose one novel and one picture book, limiting myself as this is only the first independent bookshop on my list for this week!

Well worth a visit, The Wallingford Bookshop can be found at 10c, St Martin's St, Wallingford OX10 0AL.