Barter Books is a second-hand bookshop in the historic English market town of Alnwick, Northumberland, owned and run by Stuart and Mary Manley. It has over 350,000 visitors a year, 40% of whom are from outside the area, and is one of the largest second-hand bookshops in Europe.[1] It is considered a local tourist attraction[2] and has been described as "the British Library of second-hand bookshops."[3]
The bookshop is in the Victorian Alnwick railway station, designed by William Bell and opened in 1887.[4] The station was in use until the closure of the Alnwick branch line in 1968;[5] Barter Books was opened in 1991. It is open every day including bank holidays except for Christmas Day.
The shop also houses a cafe called The Station Buffet which serves hot food all day to customers at tables in the original tiled waiting rooms of the railway station. [6]
The shop is notable for its use of a barter system, whereby customers can exchange their books for credit against future purchases; standard cash purchases are also available.
- ^ "A Novel Experience - A Visit to Barter Books Alnwick". Tracy's Travels in Time. 10 May 2019. Archived from the original on 27 September 2022. Retrieved 28 September 2020.
- ^ "Visit Barter Books | Stay With Us". YHA. Archived from the original on 7 November 2022. Retrieved 28 September 2020.
- ^ "Mr Smith goes to . . . the second-hand bookshop". www.newstatesman.com. Archived from the original on 2 March 2021. Retrieved 28 September 2020.
- ^ "Aln Valley Railway and Society @". Railways-of-britain.com. Archived from the original on 18 January 2016. Retrieved 21 April 2014.
- ^ Alnwick Branch Archived August 8, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Barter Books, System Administrator (14 November 2011). "Barter Books". www.barterbooks.co.uk. Retrieved 17 October 2023.
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