About
Built above the abandoned Underground station Osterley Park, Osterley Bookshop was opened in 1967, and has been a wondrous place for bookworms and lovers of the obscure ever since. It features a wide range of second-hand books, from classics to children's, almost all for under £10, stacked on top of each other in seeming chaos that only the owners seem to understand.
What makes this bookstore truly special—apart from the fact that the station below with quite a history of its own (a gun emplacement during World War II, home to the shop of a lady who ended up marrying the station master, and remaining an intact sight on the Piccadilly line to this day)—is its unique collection of antiquities and strange objects that one wouldn't expect to find at a bookshop. There are glasses, rocking horses, 19th- and 20th-century postcards, marmalade, plants, even eggs (courtesy of the owners' own chickens), and buttons—the list goes on and on. There's a lot to take in at Osterley Bookshop, but upon leaving you'll have had a unique experience, and probably a few books as well.
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Know Before You Go
Don't fret if you find the bookstore empty: if you want to talk to the owners, or purchase a book, you might have to ring the bell on the counter to "summon" them.
Published
June 9, 2020
