Must-see shopping in England

  • Housmans

    North London

    If you're searching for hard-to-find tomes on a progressive, radical, pacifist, feminist, socialist, communist or LGBTQ+ theme, this long-standing, not…

  • Hunters of Helmsley

    North York Moors National Park

    Offers a cornucopia of locally made chutneys, jams, beers, cheeses, bacon, gourmet pies and sausage rolls, jams, sweets and ice cream – a great place to…

  • Hung Up

    Nottingham

    Behind a black-painted facade, urban and street art are the focus of this small all-white space where emerging and established local and international…

  • Manchester Craft & Design Centre

    Manchester

    This award-winning centre (in a building dating from 1873) stocks jewellery, ceramics, bags and furnishings all handmade by local designers. There's also…

  • JJ Graham

    Cumbria & the Lakes

    There's been a grocer here since 1793 and this endearingly old-fashioned deli is still the place to pick up treats such as local cheeses, homemade…

  • Ken Spelman Booksellers

    York

    This fascinating shop has been selling rare, antiquarian and secondhand books since 1947. With an open fire crackling in the grate in winter, it's a…

  • Watershed

    South Cornwall

    This up-and-coming Cornish surf brand started in Newquay, and designs all its own clothes, including hoodies, jackets, rucksacks, shirts – and surfboards,…

  • Tib Street Market

    Manchester

    Up-and-coming local designers get a chance to display their wares at this weekly market where you can pick up everything from purses to lingerie and hats…

  • Red House

    York

    The goods of about 60 antiques dealers are displayed in 10 showrooms spread over two floors, with items ranging from jewellery and porcelain to clocks and…

  • Beatles Story Pier Head

    Liverpool

    An extension of the Beatles Story museum, the Fab4 Store has a huge collection of Beatles merchandise; there's also a cafe.

  • Bristol Bike Project

    Bristol

    A community-run bike shop in Stokes Croft, which works with underprivileged and marginalised groups to repair and sell used bikes from around £130.

  • Oxfam Originals

    Manchester

    If you're into retro, this terrific store has high-quality gear from the 1960s and ’70s. Shop in the knowledge that it's for a good cause.

  • Treasure

    Bristol

    Quality pre-loved items fill the racks of this boutique second-hand store which raises funds for creative projects in the local area.

  • Yellow Shop

    Bath

    A treat for pre-loved clothing aficionados, the Yellow Shop is crammed with cowboy boots, chunky-knit sweaters and faded blue jeans.

  • Waterstones Bloomsbury

    The West End

    Beautiful branch of the giant bookshop chain in a gorgeous 19th-century terracotta building in the heart of London university land.

  • The Mountain Factor

    The Lake District

    High-end outdoor gear (including premium brands like Paramo, Icebreaker, Fjällraven and SmartWool) with very knowledgeable staff.

  • Cartmel Cheeses

    Cumbria & the Lakes

    Fromage fans will be in seventh heaven at this fine cheese emporium, with a particular focus on producers from northern England.

  • Rob's Record Mart

    Nottingham

    Over 250,000 records (vinyl only; no CDs) cram every conceivable floor, wall and ceiling space at this music lover's nirvana.

  • Sam Read Bookseller

    The Lake District

    A bookworm's delight, with a super selection of Lakeland-themed books, as well as scores of fiction and non-fiction titles.

  • Book Cupboard

    Plymouth

    Some 200,000 secondhand volumes are wedged in over three creaking floors, making this a bookworm's delight.

  • Willow & Stone

    South Cornwall

    Browse for chic homewares, cards, wrapping paper and other lovely loot at this stylish shop.

  • Wild Pony

    South Cornwall

    A treasure trove for vintage togs, from leather jackets to retro dresses and cowboy boots.

  • Stanley Gibbons

    The West End

    This mecca for stamp- and coin-collectors has more than three million stamps.

  • Chaucer Bookshop

    Canterbury

    Antiquarian and used books plus interesting prints and drawings.

  • Brick Lane Street Sign

    Brick Lane Market

    Clerkenwell, Shoreditch & Spitalfields

    Every Sunday, the stretch of Brick Lane between Buxton St and Bethnal Green Rd is closed to traffic so stallholders can set up shop. Stands of fried…

  • Outside the shop

    Blackwell's Art & Poster

    Oxford

    Blackwell's split-level sibling store, all but opposite the main bookshop, specialises in reference books, coffee-table tomes, posters, cards and…

  • Flag flying over the Covered Market

    Covered Market

    Oxford

    A treasure trove of traditional butchers, fishmongers, cobblers, florists, barbers, coffee bars, restaurants and independent shops, Oxford’s 250-year-old…

  • Outside the first ever Oxfam shop

    Oxfam Shop

    Oxford

    The Oxford Committee for Famine Relief opened its first-ever shop on Broad St in 1948 – and it’s still going strong, selling secondhand clothes, homewares…

  • London Silver Vaults

    London

    For one of London's oddest shopping experiences, pass through security and descend 12m into the windowless subterranean depths of the London Silver Vaults…

  • Harry Potter Shop at Platform 9¾

    North London

    Pottermania refuses to die down and Diagon Alley remains impossible to find, but if you have junior witches and wizards seeking a wand of their own, take…

  • Monocle Shop

    The West End

    Run by the people behind the design and international current affairs magazine Monocle, this tiny (and attitudy) shop stocks very costly clothing, bags,…

  • Cadenhead's Whisky Shop & Tasting Room

    The West End

    Scotland's oldest independent bottler of pure, non-blended whisky from local distilleries, this shop is a joy for anyone with a passion for uisge-beatha …

  • Minamoto Kitchoan

    The West End

    Walking into this Japanese sweet shop is a mind-blowing experience. Wagashi (Japanese sweets) are made out of all sorts of rice and sweet red-bean paste …

  • Labour & Wait

    Clerkenwell, Shoreditch & Spitalfields

    Dedicated to simple and functional, yet scrumptiously stylish, traditional British and European homewares, Labour & Wait specialises in items by…

  • British Red Cross

    Kensington & Hyde Park

    The motto 'One man's rubbish is another man's treasure' couldn't be truer in this part of London, where the 'rubbish' is made up of designer gowns,…

  • Atika

    Clerkenwell, Shoreditch & Spitalfields

    One of the capital's biggest vintage clothing stores, Atika has more than 20,000 hand-selected items for men and women covering the last four decades. The…

  • Browns

    The West End

    Edgy and exciting, this series of knocked-together shops on upmarket South Molton St is full of luxury threads and shoes from internationally renowned…

  • One New Change

    London

    This modern, multilevel shopping centre is filled with places to eat for all budgets and all the usual chain-store suspects – and is thankfully open on…

  • James J Fox

    The West End

    James J Fox has been in business for over 230 years and any cigar merchant that kept Winston Churchill well supplied with maduros has to be a reliable…

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