A Visit to Lyme Regis Bookshop, Dorset
Here’s everything you need to know about the gorgeous Lyme Regis Bookshop in Dorset.
It’s hard to believe that the Lyme Regis Bookshop has only existed in its current form since 2020.
With a regal shopfront that presides over the lower end of Broad Street, the shop feels like it’s always been there. It turns out that the building itself has housed a bookshop of one kind or another for 40 years, and was previously known as Serendip.
The shop was rebranded when its current owners, Kevin and Jayne Ramage, took over, renaming it the Lyme Regis Bookshop. The pair own a number of other shops including Bookhaus in Bristol and Grove Bookshop in Ilkley, and it’s clear that they know what they’re doing.
When I first visited the shop, I was immediately struck by how perfectly its colour scheme fits its seaside location. Painted part dusty blue and part yellow, the bookshop’s interior mirrors the beach that’s just down the road.
I found the stock itself to be varied, ranging from classics and fantasy to contemporary fiction and narrative non-fiction. There’s even a lovely children’s room filled with gorgeous books for little ones of all ages.
I spent a good half an hour perusing in here, eventually emerging with a book written by a local author.
The Lyme Regis Women's Swimming Club by Millie Ravensworth is a mystery set in the town itself, following a set of fictional characters as they discover a dead (maybe murdered!) member of their swimming club. I love buying books set in the places that I visit, so this title was an easy pick for me.
How to find the Lyme Regis Bookshop:
You can find the shop at the bottom end of Broad Street, just feet away from the beach.
The full address for the shop is:
11 Broad Street, Lyme Regis, Dorset, DT7 3QD
Places to Stay in Lyme Regis
Opening hours
The shop is open 7 days a week, with the exact hours differing depending on the season.
Summer hours
Monday - Saturday 9:30am – 5:30pm
Sunday 10am – 4pm
Winter hours
Monday - Saturday 9.30am – 5pm
Sunday 10am – 4pm
Make sure you check their website for the heir updated opening hours.
Other literary locations to visit in Lyme Regis
Lyme has long been a popular seaside getaway, having been visited by a number of famous authors over the years. Jane Austen, who holidayed in Lyme Regis in 1803 and 1804, is one of the most well known - particularly as her novel Persuasion is partly based in the town.
The book itself includes descriptions of Lyme Regis Bay and the Cobb, which are both locations that Jane was likely to have visited herself.
Visitors can follow in Jane’s footsteps by stopping by Pyne House on Broad Street. Although it’s not open to the public, the house has a blue plaque claiming to be the most likely place where she stayed during her visits.
Make sure you take a walk to the Jane Austen Garden, which is located at the end of Marine Parade. Opened in 1975, the garden is a memorial to Jane, and has fantastic views over the beach and harbour.
Lyme Regis is also a great place for book shopping, with a small number of lovely secondhand bookshops.
For a quick visit, pop into The Bookshop - a single room shop that’s based in a listed building. To purchase books in this quirky space customers are asked to ring a bell and exchange money with the owner outside.
If you’re looking for a used bookshop that requires lengthy exploration, then The Sanctuary Bookshop is the place to go. With ten rooms to explore over four floors, this is a place where you can easily spend hours getting lost between the shelves.
Have you visited Lyme Regis? Leave a comment and let me know.