Osterley Bookshop
Way out on the furthest reaches of the westbound Piccadilly line is the small village of Osterley. Bordered by the high-speed car chases to Heathrow on the A4 and the wide open green of Osterley Park, this silent suburb holds one of London’s best kept, and slightly eccentric, secrets: in the old part of the village, sitting proudly above the railway, is the former Osterley Park and Spring Grove Underground Station – now a home for the Osterley Bookshop.
It is not just a haven for rare literature, but a wonderful patchwork bargain-bin of antiquarian delights. The window display consists of hardbound and unwound books perched on top of a 1940s rocking chair, old army boots and the quirkiest toys, novelties and curios, dangling from the corners of the frame. Stepping through the door, you are welcomed by a small box of reading glasses for customers’ use, and should you find a pair better than your own, they are priced at a mere £4.50.
Endless shelves and boxes spill over and scatter books about your feet, a state of affairs that might initially remind you of that neglected mess in the attic, rather than a place to spend a leisurely afternoon. But once you make a start, you will begin to see order in the chaos.
Although the usual genres are catered for (the ‘Fiction’ and ‘War’ sections bulging with inspiring adventures) it’s in the more esoteric areas that the shop comes into its own. Not even the biggest bookstore chains can claim to have a ‘Cowboys: Fact or Fiction’ section, an ‘Alcohol’ section (see the box by the window) or a shelf dedicated to yetis.
The rear alcove is a miscellany of historical artefacts, memoirs and nostalgia: WWI furniture, 1950s greeting cards, old-style curling tongs and retro wind-up robots have all been on show at one time or another. An air of magic and discovery attracts many explorers here, who happily exchange softly spoken bookstore etiquette for a more boisterous approach, as they rummage around one another with treasures already in hand. As the shop’s tagline reads, it’s a place for ‘fans, not customers’.
Osterley Bookshop
168a Thornbury Road
Osterley
Middlesex
TW7 4QE
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