While I (Chris) was visiting JL in London, I wandered into Waterstone on Piccadilly. As some of you might have noticed on this blog, I like visiting bookstores and have been photographing them. If you want to see the other bookstores, just click on the tag bookstore on your left.
Some of the information I have included here came from their website, click here.
Waterstones Piccadilly is situated in the heart of London’s West End. Now Europe’s largest bookshop, it was once home to the renowned department store Simpson’s; an admired landmark of London’s architecture, and the inspiration for the popular 1970’s British television programme ‘Are You Being Served’. When Simpson’s opened in April 1936 it was the largest menswear store in Britain. The design of the building is distinctly modern in comparison to the regular architectural style of the time.
Waterstones Piccadilly opened its doors in September 1999 and has eight floors open to the public, six of which are dedicated to books.
The glass wall that stretched the height of the building at 90 feet is just visible here. It lit each open-plan floor with natural light. Some of the original features are still in place such as the stairwell’s 90-foot chromium light fitting suspended from the ceiling, and the steel and glass handrails
Harumi Murakami is going to be there to sign his new book – “Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage – 色彩を持たない多崎つくると、彼の巡礼の年”
Waterstones claims to have 150,000 titles in stock and over eight and a half miles of shelving.
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Kids section
“Antiques, Mind, Body and Spirit, Science and Nature, Transport”
Arts department
On the top floor is a quiet cafe/bar/restaurant – the 5th View Bar, open till 10pm!
In years past, I arranged to meet people at the fountain at Piccadilly Circus or the now defunct Swiss Center at Leicester Square. If I live in London now, this could be an ideal alternative for the heart of West End.
Every city should have a bookshop like this one.