South Bank Book Market

First opened on 2 July 1983, the South Bank Book Market was the brainchild of Leslie Hardcastle, the then controller of the BFI. Conceived to bring some life to the dark and empty space beneath Waterloo Bridge, the market has been present ever since, becoming part of the Southbank Centre in 2001.

The Book Market is made up of a collection of eight different stalls, whose wares range from contemporary fiction and children’s books, to vintage and antiquarian editions, and also maps, prints and postcards. You are free to browse, and if you can’t find what you’re looking for, the booksellers will be happy to help where they can.