The famously quirky Osterley Bookshop is closing down
West London’s much-loved curio, a bookshop in an old tube station, will be closing as a bookshop, the owners have announced, although they will remain in the building.
The bookshop is based inside the ticket office of the original Osterley & Spring Grove tube station, which opened in 1883 but closed as a tube station in 1934 when a replacement Osterley station opened on the main road.
The old station building was used as a shop by a succession of owners until 1967, when two artists moved in. They initially aimed to just live there, but the council insisted the shop’s function had to remain. So they bought a load of second-hand books to sell and have never really looked back since.
The very old-fashioned bookshop, and much loved for that, filling every spare gap with piles upon piles of second-hand books, knick-knacks and any oddities that take the owner’s fancy.
It’s also a place where they sell their commercial art.
Sadly, as they explain, book sales haven’t kept up with running costs, and over the past year, it’s been their commercial art sales that have kept the bookshop alive. They’ve now accepted that the art sales, which were their original passion, will take priority over the bookshop, which they admit isn’t as much fun anymore.
They won’t leave the building, so the Osterly Bookshop will likely become more like an Osterley Gallery. Maybe.
The bookshop is open Wednesday to Sunday from 9:30am to 5:30pm, and they’re starting the book sell off now. You have time to visit though as they expect to take a very long time to clear out their entire stock.
The Osterley Bookshop is on Thornbury Road, about a 10-minute walk from Osterley tube station on the Piccadilly line.
Used to be a great bookshop until they started fleecing the customers with exhorbitant prices for tat. Predictable.
Unlike daveid76 (a throwaway account) with his crystal ball, I’ve always enjoyed this bookshop.
All things end, after all, but nearly 60 years service for a second-hand bookshop under one ownership is pretty-good going.
Also, is it the only book-shop you can buy eggs in?
I’ve lived in the area for 35 years and I used to love going there. Then they began using online sites as a price guide, subverting the whole idea of what second-hand bookshops are for. My account is not throwaway, Mr O’ Hokum, sure as eggs is eggs.
Osterley Park NT is one of my favourite sites, some years I visited twice a week. This bookshop was also a must-visit, mostly to browse but occasionally to find some rare item.
Dropped in there today, not realising it was closing down. We bought a few nice books at knock down prices, a great deal but it felt sad that we are losing this lovely little shop, and a welcome reminder of the past. They also have a great selection of greetings cards and some curios and knick-knacks. I think secondhand books must be a very tough market nowadays.
I went to school only a road away, but never hear of the old station, let alone the book shop …
Brian H