Waterstones
Waterstones Bradford is a truly remarkable bookshop, housed within the magnificent Grade I listed Wool Exchange building in the heart of Bradford. Celebrated for its breathtaking Victorian architecture, it is often lauded as one of England's most beautiful bookstores, providing a stunning backdrop for literary exploration. Visitors can immerse themselves in a vast and diverse collection of books spanning every genre and age group.
Despite being part of a larger retailer, Waterstones Bradford retains the intimate charm of an independent bookshop, with a focus on providing a calm and relaxed browsing experience. Customers consistently praise the friendly and attentive staff, who contribute to its welcoming atmosphere. A delightful cafe is also available on the upper level, perfect for enjoying a refreshment while delving into a new purchase. With a Google rating of 4.6/5 stars from over 1200 reviews, it's a highly regarded destination for book lovers.
Visiting Information
Waterstones Bradford is open Monday to Saturday from 9:00 AM to 5:30 PM, and on Sundays from 10:30 AM to 4:30 PM. The building features a wheelchair-accessible entrance, ensuring ease of access for all visitors. For payment, the bookshop conveniently accepts credit cards, debit cards, and NFC payments.
Services & Amenities
Reviews from Google Maps
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The reviews below were last updated on Thursday, 29 January 2026 at 23:40.
We have wanted to visit here for a while as it is such a lovely building, often shown on social media. Myself, my partner and daughter love books so we always enjoy browsing bookstores. Although Waterstones is a large retailer I like how it's stayed a true bookshop with friendly staff. This particular Waterstones is in a beautiful building with some gorgeous architecture. Theres an excellent selection of books and a nice relaxed vibe. After buying a couple of special editions we made our way upstairs to the small cafe. The prices were reasonable so we would definitely stop there again for a coffee if we find ourselves in Bradford for any reason.
Been on the list of places to visit for a while,spacious, quiet, calm and relaxed with lots of history on the building to see. Smaller than expected (Nottingham with it's many floors is much local) but the great selection of genres, gifts and refreshments fit in well x
It's one of the most beautiful book shops in England and who knows, maybe the world? Set in the old wool exchange, it's breathtaking to look at. But if course it is a book shop and there's plenty of choice for every age and genre. Time to sit and peruse without hassle and a lovely cafe upstairs on the balcony. Not to be missed!
Easily one of the most beautiful bookstores I've been in, especially in the North. An old Victorian trading centre turned bookshop, it's absolutely ethereal. They've got a great variety and very well organised. The lady who served us yesterday was very friendly as well and made the whole transaction a joy. Will definitely visit again.
Beautiful and stunning building which is currently being used by Waterstones. Even non book lovers should take a look, highly recommended and we had a great few hours enjoying the store and the coffee shop upstairs.
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📍 The Wool Exchange, Hustlergate, Bradford BD1 1BL, UK
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The Wool Exchange, Hustlergate, Bradford BD1 1BL, UK