London Court Books

Shop 51, 647 Hay Street, Perth WA 6000

Monday to Saturday 8:30am - 5:30pm

Sunday 11am - 5pm

London Court Books – Perth’s smallest bookshop - is an initiative of the Museum of Perth. We have been created and staffed entirely by volunteers and run on a not-for-profit basis.

The tradition of having a bookshop in London Court goes right back to when the arcade opened in July 1937. Shop 3 (later expanding into Shop 4) run by K B Arnold was the first bookshop to operate in London Court.

The Progressive Book Shop, which specialised in Socialist and Communist books, magazines, and pamphlets, opened in Shop 45 in 1942, around the same time that Paterson’s Printing Press began operating in Shop 11.

The Book Box, with its ‘array of Novels, Books of Views, Stationery, and Accessories’ was also in London Court at this time and was still there in the 1950s.

In recent times, however, there hasn’t been a dedicated bookshop in the now State Heritage-Listed arcade.

The opening of London Court Books restores that tradition. Shop 52 – which has, at various times, been a tobacconist’s, a stamp dealer, a Red Cross fund-raising office, and a jewelers – has been repaired and renovated by the volunteer team, with shop-front fittings polished and repainted in the original Tudor-revival style of the 1930s. The interior of the shop has custom-made bookshelves and 1930s period furniture (sourced from the local community).

The books we sell have been provided through the generosity of our consignment partners and donors. We also sell a carefully curated selection of gifts and greeting cards. Our bookshop is designed to be a retreat from the whirl of city life - a little oasis of calm where you can come in to browse, read, shop, and enjoy the tranquility while stepping back in time to 1937.

We look forward to welcoming you to London Court Books very soon!