Tower and Town, September 2014 (view the full edition)The White Horse BookshopThe White Horse Bookshop has been a part of the fabric of Marlborough life since the early 1940s. We had assumed it dated from the late 40s, but recently Capt. John Williams, a Navy pilot, came into the shop and showed me two 'Aircraft Spotter's Guides' he had bought from the White Horse Bookshop in 1944. Since opening the shop has had four previous owners and is now owned by Robert Hiscox and Brian Kingham, as I am sure most people will know.
I don't think it is an over-statement to say that the new White Horse Bookshop has been considerably enhanced in the refurbishment. We are larger, with two floors of books, and have retained our art shop and art class programme - and there will be more to come, hopefully, with plans already submitted to build an event space to the rear of the building and enlarge the 'studio' space upstairs. We will then be able to hold a myriad of different events as well as be a venue for the whole town to use when appropriate. The main thought I had whilst designing the new shop was that it should be big enough to be worth making a special journey, whether you know what you want, or are coming simply to browse. Having the right books in stock always takes time to work out so please don't hold back in what you think we should be stocking, just as I won't hold back in my response! Our continued success depends not only upon the support of the town (I am truly appreciative of the support shown so far) but also the community telling us what they, you, think about what we do. I sincerely look forward to our future together and serving the readers of Marlborough in the way they deserve. Angus MacLellan |
The building itself dates back to at least 1557 (we know this because, according to the History of Marlborough by Chandler, there is a beam with this date carved into it somewhere in the building - we just don't know where.) How long before this date it was built we do not know. We would be fascinated if anyone could tell us anything further about our history.