Farewell to Aardvark Books

One day, about seventeen years ago, I was on one of my second-hand book quests in the Marcher country between England and Wales when I saw a sign on the main road reading 'Aardvark Books', with an arrow pointing along a minor turning. It happened that not long before I had followed a similar enticement, only to end up at a warehouse selling (new) text books to schools, so I ignored this one, reasoning it was probably the same kind of thing. This was a mistake, leading to one of my several rueful book-collecting mottoes: 'Always Follow Signs to Books'. 

Because when I did, some months later, on another expedition, I discovered a very large second-hand bookshop in a converted barn with, it said (and it certainly looked it), some 50,000 books. On that visit, I remember swooping on some Algernon Blackwood, some E.F. Benson, some Michael Innes, and quite a lot else. No subsequent visit, it must be confessed, was quite as rich, as no doubt other collectors got wind of this new trove, but there were usually some titles to make a visit worthwhile, often unusual and obscure.

In any case, the book barn's setting, in deepest rural Herefordshire, was charming. Around the village churchyard was a remarkably serpentine topiary yew hedge, for all the world like some green dragon slumbering here in between ravaging the countryside. Above the little settlement was a mysterious, Machenesque hill, with a wooded grove on its crest, from which I always expected to see smoke from some secret shrine arising. The village is also a focus for artists and craftspeople, including a hand-printing fine press, a potter, a jeweller and a watercolourist. 

The bookshop's website explains its origin:  

'Aardvark Books was founded in January 2004 by Sheridan Swinson and the late Edward Tobin, two career publishing professionals who decided to start a book business that reflected their love of books, and their combined half-century of experience in the book trade. Begun in some disused pig sheds on the outskirts of Leominster in Herefordshire, Aardvark Books quickly moved  to Brampton Bryan where they found a home in one of the buildings on the Harley Estate, The Oxford Barn. In the autumn of 2007 they moved to their existing premises on the edge of the village in the old Manor Farm Buildings.'

The bookshop later added a cafe, serving good quality coffee, fine loose-leaf teas, soup, croques monsieur and highly tempting cakes. For both the books and the food, the book barn became an essential resort on any visit to these parts, a waystation on the way to Hay-on-Wye, and it has often featured in my essays on book-collecting tours in this region. When presenting our selections at the till, there would usually be the opportunity for a chat with the affable proprietor, Sheridan, about our choices or his own recent reading.

In February, though, came the announcement that he and his wife Sarah were to give up the business, and today (4 April) was the last day, going out with a big Easter sale, music, crafts stalls and visits from well-wishers. Bookshops and their proprietors often come to seem like old friends, even if we only see them a few times a year and pass the time of day for a few minutes. This is part of the reason why I often wistfully remember where bookshops used to be, and look out for them, as if they might somehow still be there.

There are, it seems, plans in train for new owners to take over the business in some form, perhaps from the end of this month, so it will be interesting to see how this develops, hopefully still involving books and food. In the meantime, all good wishes to the team at the Book Barn. And - remember to follow the signs!

(Mark Valentine)