| Re: Stanfords - map shop(s) Posted by Red Squirrel at 15:15, 26th January 2026 |     |
In Bristol, we used to have the excellent Georges bookshops, on Park Street - there were three of them, on the left hand side walking up.
One of them was where I met Harold Wilson, who was there to sign copies of his book, 'The Governance of Britain'. I didn't buy one, I just offered him a sheet of paper - which he autographed: I remember saying to him, "Thank you, sir". I was with a group of fellow sixth-formers, who had all sneaked out of school simply to attend that book signing. [Image from here is not available to guests]
One of them was where I met Harold Wilson, who was there to sign copies of his book, 'The Governance of Britain'. I didn't buy one, I just offered him a sheet of paper - which he autographed: I remember saying to him, "Thank you, sir". I was with a group of fellow sixth-formers, who had all sneaked out of school simply to attend that book signing. [Image from here is not available to guests]
George's (note the placement of the apostrophe - we'll come back to that) was just one shop - 89 Park St - when I was a boy. Spent many happy hours there, exploring all four floors and multiple levels, and buying many a book. I think they over-expanded when they moved into 87 and 85, and then sadly rebranded as Blackwell's - the Oxford bookseller who had actually owned the business since the 1920's.
Why was the apostrophe where it was? Because it was William George's Sons Ltd. William, incidentally, started selling books in his uncle's bookshop at 26 Clare Street - more or less opposite Stanford's. He moved the business to Park St in either 1851 or 1871 (depending on who you believe). Perhaps he thought Clare St was a silly place for a bookshop?
| Re: Stanfords - map shop(s) Posted by Red Squirrel at 14:54, 26th January 2026 | |
Sad, but not surprised. I don't remember the Bristol store ever being very busy. It was on Clare Street, surrounded by bars and restaurants. There is a branch of Traifinders nearby, which could have sent some people their way, but overall it always looked a bit out of place.
| Re: Stanfords - map shop(s) Posted by Chris from Nailsea at 14:48, 26th January 2026 | |
In Bristol, we used to have the excellent Georges bookshops, on Park Street - there were three of them, on the left hand side walking up.
One of them was where I met Harold Wilson, who was there to sign copies of his book, 'The Governance of Britain'. I didn't buy one, I just offered him a sheet of paper - which he autographed: I remember saying to him, "Thank you, sir". I was with a group of fellow sixth-formers, who had all sneaked out of school simply to attend that book signing. [Image from here is not available to guests]
| Stanfords - map shop(s) Posted by grahame at 14:12, 26th January 2026 | |
From https://www.stanfords.co.uk/our-stores - I remember in my youth visiting book shops like Foyles and Stanfords - the latter for maps. Noting a post that fleetingly passed by told of the closure of Stanford's in Bristol, just a single store remains which is that one near Covent Garden. I did have a look at their online shop too, which would now seem to be their dominant business. Memories of other big bookstores too - whatever happened to Borders, or some of those wonderful specialist displays of IT books in places like Waterstones.
