Woolfson & Tay is a stylish independent bookshop, café and gift shop a stone’s throw away from Southwark tube on the famous orange lamppost route in Bankside. Tucked discreetly away from the bustling commotion of the South Bank, this is a great place to grab a coffee and while away an afternoon with only your favourite novel and a latte for company.
Now, I am a great lover of a secondhand bookshop but this is no antiquarian hangout. Instead, you will find an elegant and carefully selected range of crisp, new titles from the latest modern fiction to vintage classics – all with that intoxicating newly-printed smell. The shelves are neatly lined with an impressive range of books that have been on your must-read list for as long as you can remember. This is a place to stop, slow down, take a breath. You can browse and select in your own time, and I think you will agree there is something rather beautiful about actually holding a book; reading the back page synopsis and absorbing its cover rather than scrolling aimlessly down a screen of images.
There is more on the menu at Woolfson & Tay than just sumptuous books. There are author talks and performances, tai chi classes and workshops. A homemade Asian lunch is available from Monday to Friday – this weeks’ menu included Malaysian Chicken Curry with Potatoes and Veg Fried Rice with Sesame Seaweed Salt Egg – as well as an eclectic mix of tea, coffee and cakes. The gifts and cards are stylish and unique and I guarantee your friends will love you if purchase something special for them from here.
What gives this indie bookshop even more of an edge is the fact that it is independent. It contains real people and real books and it is right here, right now on your local street (www.indiebound.co.uk). So as well as enjoying the creative space you can feel content knowing you have done a good deed for the day – supporting your local community with every flick of the page and sip of hot, strong coffee.
Woolfson & Tay is situated on the charmingly named Bear Lane. Grab a hot drink and a window seat for ample opportunity to watch Bankside go by – office workers grabbing a lunchtime pint at The White Bear, actors on their way to Jerwood Space, tourists on their way down to the river. This could well be your dream indie bookshop in South London.
Check it out.
NicolaG
Author at True-London at True-London.com
Hi, I'm Nicola. A 30-something Londoner who lives for fashion. If I'm not running or reading, you'll find me writing or eating. Or drinking and dancing.
I've travelled the world but my heart will always belong to London Town. I hope you enjoy my reviews.
