Bookshop History

Although the history of the Bookshop starts in 1949, the history of the building is much older. 74 Tranquil Vale was built in 1880, and replaces an earlier building known as 1 Tranquil Place. The new building was leased to William Carson for a toy emporium, which remained until 1913 when it moved to 42 Tranquil Vale. The shop remained empty until 1920, when it reopened as a second-hand furniture shop; it subsequently went through various incarnations as a lingerie shop, an arts & crafts showroom, a wireless engineer’s workshop, and an antique shop.

In 1949, Jameson Benbrook opened an antiquarian bookshop, selling the business in 1952 to the Misses Aitken and Korn, who retired in 1962. Mrs May Roberts took over until 1970, when she sold the business to her manager, Louis Leff. In 2003, the Bookshop was taken over by Richard Platt, who ran it with his wife Jasmine until they sold it to the current owner, Dr David Wilson, in June 2014.