Inside Heffers Bookshop & Cambridge Bookshop Guide

As one of England’s historic university cities, Cambridge has a wide variety of fantastic bookshops to explore.

Heffers is one of those - a vital and well regarded part of the literary scene in Cambridge, having been present in the city for over 100 years.

Formerly owned by the Heffer family, the shop was founded by William Heffer in 1876, initially selling stationary and later adding books. Heffers was eventually sold to Blackwell’s in 1999, but retains its independent charm.

Today the shop sells a comprehensive range of academic books (as all Cambridge bookshops should!) as well as a variety of books in other genres.

Their stock really is huge, with a dedicated children’s section, the latest releases in fiction and nonfiction, with a second hand book selection too. Spread across several floors, the layout of the shop is ingenious and creates a maze like labyrinth of bookshelves for visitors to explore.

It’s a great place to search for books on your niche interests, and as a psychology graduate, I was delighted to find an extensive selection of both popular and academic psychology texts.

In 2016 Julie Bounford penned a book all about Heffers, illustrated with photographs and stories from the family and employees who were associated with the bookshop in the 20th century. I’ve not read it yet but it’s definitely on my to-read list!

How to find Heffers Bookshop

Located in Cambridge city centre, Heffers can be found opposite Trinity College, just a few steps away from the Market Square.

Local bus and train services into the city are available, and I recommend walking through town to reach the bookshop.

The full address for Heffers Bookshop is:

20 Trinity St, Cambridge CB2 1TY

Opening times

Heffers opens 7 days a week, 9am - 7pm Monday - Saturday and from 11am - 5pm on Sunday.

Take a look at their website for their up to date opening hours.

Other bookshops to visit in Cambridge

You really are spoilt for choice when it comes to book shopping in Cambridge, so here are some of my favourites.

Cambridge University Press Bookshop

Keep walking down to Trinity Street and you’ll come across another prestigious institution, the Cambridge University Press Bookshop.

Thought to be the world’s oldest publishing house, Cambridge University Press was founded in 1534, and still operates today as an academic book publisher. The shop opened in 1992 and stocks more than 50,000 titles.

They also have access to difficult to find and print on demand titles from the Cambridge University Press backlist, as well as a variety of Cambridge related souvenirs and memorabilia.

G David Bookseller

An antiquarian and second hand bookshop, G David Bookseller has been trading in Cambridge since 1896.

The shop had humble beginnings, starting as a book stall in the Cambridge Market before eventually moving into their St Edward’s Passage property. Today the shop is still very much a family affair, run by the founder’s great grandson, David Asplin, and his business partner Neil Adams.

The Haunted Bookshop

Also known as Sarah Key Books, the Haunted Bookshop is a popular second hand bookseller specialising in children’s and illustrated books.

You’ll find them in a quiet passage beside St. Edward’s church, just steps away from the Market Square. The shop has a red painted door and window frames, with a cosy interior stacked high with books.

It certainly has a unique charm and is a must visit while in Cambridge.

Waterstones

No bookshop list is complete without the UK’s largest bookshop chain!

Waterstones has a gorgeous branch in Cambridge, set across four floors and with a beautiful wooden facade. Here you’ll find tens of thousands of books, a cafe, and an expanded games section with heaps of board and card games.

Also in the city centre and just down the road from the Oxfam bookshop, you’ll find Waterstones along Sidney Street.

There’s also three charity bookshops in the city: Oxfam Bookshop, the RSPCA Bookshop and Books for Amnesty.

There’s even a fantastic literary hotel…

One of my all time favourite literary hotels, the University Arms Cambridge is a book lover’s paradise.

This luxurious hotel has been in operation since 1834, when it started life as a coaching inn. Today it boasts gorgeous Edwardian interiors and even has a stunning library stocked by their very own Book Butler.

Here guests can relax with a book and enjoy an afternoon tea, cup of coffee, or something stronger from the bar. The books are loaned out on an honorary system and residents are welcome to take titles back to their room for some bedtime reading.

The hotel also hosts regular author talks and events, and many of the books in the library have been donated by writers who have stayed with them.

This is a place for your bucket list and somewhere that you don’t want to miss while visiting Cambridge.

(Disclaimer: I stayed here for free in order to review the hotel, however, I genuinely loved it and believe that you will too!)

Don’t Forget the Wren library!

Any book lover visiting Cambridge has to visit the stunning Wren Library, which forms part of Trinity College.

Built in 1695 and designed by Christopher Wren, the Wren Library is known for being one of the first libraries to be designed with light levels in mind. Containing large arched windows throughout, the library is naturally light, making it a comfortable place to read and study.

The Wren Library is also known for storing a variety of rare texts and medieval manuscripts.

You can even find the very first copy of Isaac Newton’s Principia Mathematica here, as well as the original manuscripts of Winnie-the-Pooh and The House at Pooh Corner by A.A. Milne.

Over 70,000 books are preserved in the Wren Library, and although visitors are not able to flick through them, this is still a working library used by staff and researchers at Cambridge University.

To visit, check the library’s website which details their public opening times. The Wren Library is free to visit and you don’t need to prebook.

What’s your favourite literary spot in Cambridge? Leave a comment and let me know.

You can purchase a copy of This Book is About Heffers: The Bookshop That is Known All Over the World on Amazon here.