LONGEST - Continuously Operating Bookshop Site - Trinity Street, Cambridge, UK
N 52° 12.334 E 000° 07.079
31U E 303076 N 5787817
The Cambridge University Bookshop is located on the east side of Trinity Street in Cambridge. It has changed owners over the years but has served continuously as a bookshop since the 1580s.
Waymark Code: WMQVX6
Location: Eastern England, United Kingdom
Date Posted: 04/03/2016
Views: 1
The plaque, erected by Cambridge University, tells us:
In 1583
opposite this site
the first book was printed by
Cambridge University Press
in a line of printing which
ran unbroken until 2013.
This has also been the
longest continuously operating
bookshop site in England
where books were first sold
in the 1580s.
The Cambridge University Press Bookshop website tells us:
The Cambridge University Press Bookshop opened its doors for business on 30 April 1992 as a showroom for the full range of the Press's publishing.
Number 1 Trinity Street is one of the most historic sites in bookselling. It is situated in the heart of Cambridge opposite the Senate House, adjacent to Great St Mary's the University church.
Well-remembered by many as Bowes & Bowes, books have in fact been sold here since at least 1581, making it the oldest bookshop site in the country. During its long history it has hosted readings by Tennyson and counted Thackeray and Charles Kingsley amongst its visitors.
From 1845 the shop was run by Daniel and Alexander Macmillan where they began to issue some of their own publications. By 1863 this business had grown so much they no longer had time to run the shop, instead investing all their time in what is now Macmillan publishers. Since Cambridge University Press took over the site in 1992, the biggest changes in publishing have taken place since the Press was granted its Letters Patent by Henry VIII in 1534.