When I first discovered London’s iconic Stanfords in 1986, Britain’s largest travel bookstore was already 133 years old. Located in a beautiful turn-of-the-century building on Long Acre in the heart of Covent Garden since 1901, the shop has one of the world’s most extensive retail selections of guidebooks, travel literature, maps, maritime charts, and globes.

After 118 years in the same location, Stanfords is moving around the corner to a larger store on Mercer Walk, which will open in January, 2019. Unfortunately they won’t be able to salvage the famous floor maps from the old building, but will be creating updated versions for the new shop. I’m sad to see the historic bookshop close, but look forward to browsing the new store soon.