Deanery Bookstall

Located in the Inner Close of the Winchester Cathedral grounds, the full address is: 2 The Close, Winchester SO23 9LS, United Kingdom.

Click here to view a map.

If you are using a Sat Nav, please note that there is no parking available in the Inner Close of Winchester Cathedral. Visit Winchester City Council’s website for more information about local parking.

Summer: Open daily between 10.00am – 4.00pm*

Winter: Open weekends between 10.00am-4.00pm*

*Our summer season begins when the clocks go forward. Winter season begins when the clocks go back. Please note that the Bookstall does not open on Christmas Day or on Good Friday.

Opening times are dependent upon the availability of volunteer staff and the impact of bad weather. On a very rare occasion the opening times can change at late notice.

The Bookstall stocks a wide range of different genres and we endeavor to sell books which are of good quality, focusing on stocking unusual publications.

In the summer season the bookstall can receive 100 boxes of books per week. The volunteers aim to stock unusual books and always try to weed out books in poor condition.

The bookstall have a wide range of customers including students, overseas visitors, the local community and numerous regular customers from as far afield as London, Oxford and Brighton.

Since the bookstall began in 2001, funds raised through the donation and sales of books have been directed to the Cathedral’s Music Foundation.

Thank you in advance for considering to donate your books.

Our opening hours for receiving book donations are from 10.00am until 3.00pm. We ask that you don’t leave books outside the Bookshop if we are closed.

All donations should be in a bag or box, please don’t donate loose books.

Please do not deliver books if it is raining (or if rain is forecast), as the team sort through donations outside.

If you wish to make a large delivery, it is appreciated if you let us know in advance (see contact details at the bottom of this webpage).
There are certain categories of books that we do not sell (we are constrained by the size of our premises).
These include:
Sheet music
Reference books
Books on business and management
Books on self help
Medical books
Legal books
School textbooks

The bookstall receives all its books by public donations. These range from small individual donations to house and library clearances. We have developed links with local house clearance firms, auction houses and book dealers and we can provide free advice to people facing the disposal of large numbers of books.

Unfortunately, the Deanery Bookstall is not suitable for wheelchair access.

The number of books and the narrowness of the old building sadly does not allow space for wheelchairs and buggies.

Where feesible we will always try to bring books out to people who cannot access the interior of the Bookstall.

You can learn more about accessibility at Winchester Cathedral here.

Miranda Bennett is the Manager of the Deanery Bookstall and looks forward to welcoming you.

You can contact Miranda on +447779024601, if you would like to give notice of a book donation, or have a specific question which isn’t listed on this page.

Please note that unfortunately Miranda cannot advise on whether a particular book is in stock, due to the volume of books which the shop looks after.