A visit to Books on the Hill and a mini Daphne du Maurier exhibit
One of my favourite local bookshops is Books on the Hill in St. Albans, Hertfordshire. Nestled on the hill just in the town centre, this bookstore is a real gem of St. Albans and I find such comfort and inspiration whenever I visit. Not only is a wonderful independent bookshop, they also run regular book clubs and writing workshops with local specialists in their area.
Firstly, there is a perfect edit every time I visit. From the new-in table to the meticulously curated fiction shelves, the gorgeous classics to secondhand Penguin editions, I always find something to love and often come away with a bag full of books. The sellers leave recommendation cards and there’s such a small selection – compared to the big boy shops at least – that you can really get a feel of what the owners enjoy too.
Next, they have a mystery trolley where books are wrapped up and just advertised with a note tag of the main plot. I love little touches like these!
There’s also a glorious Curiosity Cabinet – which is what I’d love to name my personal library – and it holds rare and collectible editions, as well as other special artefacts. I could never splash out thousands for a single book, but I do so love poring over the beautiful editions in this cabinet every time I visit.
Finally, we popped next door to the Books on the Hill Reading Rooms, where I’d heard the bookshop had acquired a very special collection indeed…
Yes, Books on the Hill are currently the proud custodians of a Daphne du Maurier collection. It was so unbelievably special to see the writing desk that she used in her later writing years, and some special artefacts from her life – diaries, loyalty cards, paintings.
