Hatchards

Hatchards
Industry Bookshop
Founded 1797 (1797)
Founder John Hatchard
Headquarters London, United Kingdom
Number of locations
2
Parent Waterstones
Website www.hatchards.co.uk
Hatchards at St Pancras railway station

Hatchards is the oldest bookshop in the United Kingdom.[1][2]

History

The bookshop was founded at 173 Piccadilly, London, by John Hatchard in 1797.[3] It moved within Piccadilly in 1801, to No.189–190; the site of the first shop was cleared in 1810 for the Egyptian Hall to be built. The second shop had a numbering change to 187, in 1820.[4] It still trades today from the same address, and Hatchard's portrait can be seen on the staircase of the shop.

It was founded with a collection of merchandise bought from Simon Vandenbergh, a bookseller of the 18th century.

Hatchards was acquired by William Collins, Sons in 1956. It was bought by Pentos in 1990, and Pentos was later acquired by Waterstone's.[5]

Operations

It has a reputation for attracting high-profile authors and holds three Royal Warrants.[3]

Hatchards opened a new store in St Pancras railway station in 2014. The 2,000 sq ft store, opened at the beginning of August, is located next door to a new branch of Fortnum and Mason, continuing a relationship that goes back over two centuries.

References

  1. Peter Marcan, Directory of Specialist Bookdealers in the United Kingdom Handling Mainly New Books: With Appendices Listing Specialist Directories of Museums, Libraries, and Associations, page 6 (P. Marcan, 1982). ISBN 978-0950421131
  2. Sandra L. Beckett, Crossover Fiction: Global and Historical Perspectives, page 212 (Routledge, 2009). ISBN 978-0-415-98033-3
  3. 1 2 "Hatchards". Lonely Planet. Retrieved May 25, 2016.
  4. Piccadilly, South Side, in Survey of London: Volumes 29 and 30, St James Westminster, Part 1, ed. F H W Sheppard (London, 1960), pp. 251-270 http://www.british-history.ac.uk/survey-london/vols29-30/pt1/pp251-270 [accessed 20 January 2016].
  5. Christopher Hibbert; Ben Weinreb; Julia Keay; John Keay (23 March 2010). The London Encyclopaedia. Macmillan. p. 388. ISBN 978-1-4050-4925-2.
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