A Winter Afternoon at Barter Books, Alnwick

There’s something quietly magical about November in Northumberland: the chill in the air, the soft light settling over ancient stone walls, the quiet expanse of golden sands on the coast and the stillness that only early winter can bring. On a recent trip a couple of girl friends and I took a ‘girlie’ trip to Alnwick. We stayed in a wonderful  3 bed cottage Airbnb in the town, a stone’s throw from the Gardens and Castle, for our 3 night stay. We carved out an afternoon to wander into one of the most enchanting bookshops I’ve  visited — Barter Books, within the old Victorian railway station.

Getting There

The shop’s entrance is right at the crossing of South Road (B6346) and Wagonway Road, making it easy to spot. It is an easy walk from the main town centre and there is parking at  the door. On arrival, you immediately sense that you’re not stepping into just any bookshop, but into a place steeped in history.

Sources: Barter Books and Second Era Gadabout

A Station Reborn: History & Atmosphere

Set in an old Victorian railway station, Barter Books Alnwick is one of the largest second-hand bookshop in England with over 350,000 books on its shelves. It has been nicknamed the ‘The British Library of secondhand bookshops’ and is one of the only bookshops in the UK that still run on a barter system where you can swap your books for credit – (hence the name). Of course if you don’t bring any books with you, you can just purchase any books in the usual way. But, beyond the volumes, this is no ordinary bookstore. You also have a miniature railway, roaring fireplaces, ginormous art murals and a cosy station café to keep you entertained.

The building itself oozes character complete with quirky nooks and crannies. The original railway station that was built by William Bell in 1887 which is a massive 32,000-square-foot building, was the terminus stop of the East Coast Main Line that branched out from Alnmouth. It’s main purpose back then was for the Dukes of Northumberland to receive royalty and guests at their home (the Castle, just a stone’s throw away). The exterior still has the iron canopy and wide entrance doors.

It’s well worth visiting. It has become a pilgrimage destination for any book lover and certainly I wouldn’t miss it whilst you’re travelling on the Northumberland Coast.

The station closed for passengers in the late 1960s as part of the Beeching cuts, but parts of the building were opened up for repurposing and taken over by local businesses.

In the 1990s, Mary Manley decided to open a second-hand bookshop at the station based on a barter system which is essentially a book swap.Her husband Stuart, who had an interest in the railways, went into partnership with Mary and the business has grown from strength to strength ever since. The platform was filled in and has been replaced by a maze of long bookshelves and book cases.

Source: Second Era Gadabout

Walking inside, you’re greeted by soaring arches, original station walls, many  original features  and the hum of activity — but not of trains. Instead, there are lots of people quietly browsing shelves packed with tens of thousands of books 

The Charm of the Store

The decor blends the warmth of a bookish retreat with the nostalgia of railway architecture. There are three vast murals on the walls — the most famous being the Writers’ Gallery, which features 33 life-size portraits of authors, poets and playwrights  like Shakespeare, Dickens, Wilfred Owen, Jane Austen,Ernest Hemingway, George Orwell, Virginia Woolf, Ted Hughes, F Scott Fitzgerald, James Joyce, Robert Louis Stevenson and the Brontës. Before your visit you can check out Barter Books website for a full description of the mural and how it came to be, so you will be able to identify your favourites when looking up at it.

Soures : Barter Books and Second Era Gadabout

Above the bookshelves, a miniature model railway chugs gently, weaving between the rafters. Comfy armchairs are nestled around open fireplaces, perfect for curling up with a find you’ve just picked off the shelf. There’s even a children’s room full of toys, so if you bring little ones, they can happily play while adults take turns to browse. 

A Cosy Lunch at the Station Buffet

After an hour of gently wandering between dusty spines and hidden corners, we made our way to the Station Buffet, the shop’s cafe housed in the old waiting rooms of the station.  Each room has its own character: the Skylight Room, the Red Room (once the 1st Class Gents’ waiting room), the Blue Room(1st Class Ladies waiting  room), the Green Room (originally  the 3rd Class waiting  room. Each ‘room’ or area  has its unique style and all have a different story and feel behind them. We settled into a corner by a crackling fire, and had a simple but delicious lunch — I had Northumbrian Rarebit – traditional cheese on toast with a twist and using local ingredients with  chips and salad. a pot of Earl Grey tea, and a slice of cake. The gentle clink of cups, the muted chatter of other visitors, and the warm glow all made it feel like stepping into a novel.

Source: Barter Books

Browsing in the Heart of Winter

Once fortified, we returned to the shelves. There’s something deeply soothing about browsing second-hand books in the depths of winter — the soft hush, the promise of discovery in every row. I found a few lovely volumes I couldn’t resist (some fiction, some history), and even just soaking in the atmosphere felt like a gift.

Details like restored original station fittings — ticket windows, old fireplaces, drinking water  fountain and even the station canopy — make the place feel lovingly preserved.

So my 7 top things to do to get the most of your visit.

1. Obviously browse the enormous selection of books Its big. Rows and  rows  and different parts ofthe building to explore. There is even a map to help you find the different  sections.They have sections on sci-fi, mystery, history, local  landscapes, romance, travel, politics, science, psychology, cookery, art, religion, interior design, astronomy and everything you could think of as well as  a  huge glazed section of antiquarian books. There’s also a large children’s and young adult section. For me, I found one of two hidden gems in the cookery and interiors.

2.Cosy up by the open log fire or snuggle into a comfy cosy nook with your choices of books to look at  further.

2. Cosy up by the open log

Although the bookshop is fully heated, nothing compares to the glow of a real log fire. The crackling hearth turns this old railway station into a cosy winter hideaway. Comfy sofas are scattered throughout the building — perfect spots to settle in, warm your hands, listen to the wood popping in the flames, and breathe in that unmistakable scent of burning logs while you lose yourself in a book… or discover your next great read.

3.Admire the colourful bookish decor, murals and original station features.

You can find their 40-foot writer’s mural that features over 33 famous characters from Literature. There is also a railway station mural that pays homage to the bookshop’s roots as the old Alnwick Station.You’ll notice a culmination of poetry lines across the shop  and they all form part of this mural. It makes a fabulous photo opportunity too. Original features include a drinking fountain and ticket office.

4. See the Barter Books train on their miniature railway

This bookshop even has its very own miniature railway set running above your head along the book shelves and over bridges lined with poetry! 

Source : Barter Books

5. See  the poster that started a trend. 

Do you remember that time in the early 2000s when the Keep Calm and Carry On poster trend took the world by storm? Well, that whole phenomenon started right here in Barter Books. One day owner  Stuart was looking through a box of books he had bought at auction when he stumbled across one  of the original Keep Calm and Carry On posters.Although over 2 million copies of the motivational poster were printed in 1939 and some were used during the Blitz in WWII, not many were publicly displayed. The Manley’s proudly framed the poster by their cash register and it started to gather lots of attention. Eventually, Barter Books started selling copies . Ever since its reprinting has led to millions of copies and  spin offs  being issued and used on all sorts of items and sold all over the world. You can still see the framed original poster today in the shop !

 6. Don’t forget to visit the Station Buffet

You could easily spend a couple of hours in Barter Books rummaging around for second-hand volumes, there are so many things to see. But, if you were feeling peckish or in need of refreshments, you can visit the Station Buffet at the back of the bookstore. It servess hot  and cold drinks, breakfast, lunches and light snacks throughout the day.

7. Buy a Bespoke souvenir

The shop has a range of its own merchandise  to act as a souvenir of your visit. I got a great book lovers mug

Opening times

Barter Books is open  daily 9am – 7pm, except Christmas Day and the Station Buffet is open 9am – 6.30pm with last hot food orders at 5 pm. Although I left Molly at home on this trip Barter Books is dog friendly and dogs along with their well behaved owners are welcome.

Nearby

During the  winter months the Alnwick Castle itself is  closed to the public, however we did visit the famous Poison Garden, Lidori and the festive Winter Lights Trail.

Beyond the castle and gardens, there are lots of independent shops and cafés to browse in the main marketplace and side streets. So a great place to purchase a christmas gift or two.

You can visit the Bailiffgate Museum to learn more about the history of the town or catch a show at the Playhouse Theatre.

Just outside of Alnwick you can visit the seaside towns Amble and Alnmouth with  their our charm and features such as Amble Harbour Village full of local craft and artisan pods.