Jarrold has officially opened its new-look Book Department on the lower ground floor level of the London Street department store. This marks the beginning of a new bookselling era, after over a century of trading on the ground floor.

Customers visiting the department over the past few days have been delighted by the transformation that has taken place. Gone are the slightly dated fixtures and fittings, replaced by a new look which, while contemporary in design, celebrates Jarrold’s book printing and bookselling heritage – and with a printing press from The John Jarrold Printing museum taking centre stage. This Albion Press, dating from 1845, was used for small commercial printing jobs and latterly as a proofing press. Still in working order, it has previously been loaned for printing demonstrations and used in a major film.

Evidence of Jarrold’s printing past can be seen elsewhere in the department: the exclusive wallpaper design incorporates photography from the museum’s collection of wood and metal moveable type, which creates a fascinating hotchpotch of letters and numbers in different fonts.

Stocking over 30,000 titles, the department’s new position gives the feeling of a shop- within-a shop and provides the ideal environment for author book signings, as well as cookery demonstrations and the ever-popular school holiday children’s events. The department carries comprehensive ranges of all general book categories including fiction, biography, history and children’s books, with the cookery section being particularly strong. Finally, Jarrolds is proud to stock the largest range of local-interest titles in East Anglia. 

Chapters - One of the most exciting new features of the department is the addition of its very own coffee bar. Aptly named Chapters, it provides the perfect stop-off for a delicious sweet treat and speciality Barista-served coffee.

Michelle Jarrold said of the new-look department:

 ‘We are delighted. When undertaking this project we were keen to not just provide a new location for selling books; we also wanted to create a unique and special environment where customers can relax and enjoy the pleasure of browsing. We feel the addition of seating for the children’s section and Chapters coffee bar helps to create a great book buying experience for all ages.’

Our new Book Department and Chapters Coffee Bar are located on the Lower Ground Floor.