Above the door are ancient carved dragons. Peering down the narrow corridor, shelves of books beckon you down...
...and down. The entrance is just on the right. Mind your head as you go in, if you are tall.
Inside, a warm, bookish sanctuary, with a tempting little corridor leading off. Shall we look?
The front room, with leather comfy chair and heater. Browsers and dippers are very welcome here. As are buyers, of course
But don't settle, there is more to explore - back through the wood panelled passageway, to the tallest bookshelf you ever saw -
'Books to the ceiling,
Books to the sky,
My pile of books is a mile high.
How I love them! How I need them!
I'll have a long beard by the time I read them.'
(Arnold Lobel).
Further on and further in.
This is a shrine to books and book lovers. This is a warm, welcoming haven, with sofas and higgledy-piggledy piles of interest to lure you to 'bide a wee while' and immerse yourself in papery Heaven. Do take a seat.
Oh happy day, that such places still - just about - exist. A proper bookshop.
Cornell Books Ltd, The Wheatsheaf, 132 High Street, Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire, GL20 5JR.
*The Wheatsheaf used to be a pub dating back to the 1500's and can be seen from the front here.*
