The Chaucer Head Bookshop is a general and second hand bookseller currently located in
Stratford-upon-Avon
Stratford-upon-Avon (), commonly known as just Stratford, is a market town and civil parish in the Stratford-on-Avon district, in the county of Warwickshire, in the West Midlands region of England. It is situated on the River Avon, north-we ...
, Warwickshire, England. It was founded in 1830 in
Birmingham
Birmingham ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1.145 million in the city proper, 2.92 million in the West ...
before moving to Stratford-upon-Avon in 1960.
Building
The shop was founded by John Cadby in 1830, and was then succeeded in March 1870 by a William Downing.
The shop is now located in a Grade II listed building at 21, Chapel Street, Stratford-upon-Avon, moving here in 1960. It was home to Julius Shaw, a friend of William Shakespeare best known for being a witness to the poet and dramatist's will. Over the centuries it has also housed the first infirmary in Stratford and at least two banks (visitors can see the extraordinarily thick door which presumably made up the first line of bank security).
In 1905 it became home to The
Shakespeare Head Press
Arthur Henry Bullen, often known as A. H. Bullen, (9 February 1857, London – 29 February 1920, Stratford-on-Avon) was an English editor and publisher, a specialist in 16th and 17th century literature, and founder of the Shakespeare Head Press, ...
, founded by
Arthur Henry Bullen
Arthur Henry Bullen, often known as A. H. Bullen, (9 February 1857, London – 29 February 1920, Stratford-on-Avon) was an English editor and publisher, a specialist in 16th and 17th century literature, and founder of the Shakespeare Head Press, ...
after he had a dream in which he was presented with a copy of the works of Shakespeare "printed in the poet's home town".
Because of the Shakespeare connection a wealth of documentary evidence survives - for example the names and occupations of each tenant for the last 400 years can be traced.
See also
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Book trade in the United Kingdom
The book trade in the United Kingdom has its roots as far back as the 14th century, however the emergence of internet booksellers such as Amazon partnered with the introduction of the e-Book has drastically altered the scope of the industry. Book ...
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Chaucer Head Bookshop, The
Buildings and structures in Stratford-upon-Avon
Bookshops of England