In 1843, Bradley Thomas Batsford opened B.T. Batsford Ltd., an independent bookshop dedicated to art and architecture.

Thirty years later he began publishing beautiful books, and by the end of the 19th century Batsford became known as a specialist publisher of high-quality non-fiction books. Today, we still publish beautiful books!

In 2022, we came full circle and opened a bookshop once more. At 266 Hackney Road you can find our publications on art, design, architecture, craft, nature, poetry and popular culture. We also stock our favourite titles published elsewhere, like Abrams & Chronicle, V&A Books, Taschen, Thames and Hudson, Hoxton Mini Press, Microcosm Publishing, Cheerio and much more.

Our tiny Hackney bookshop has a secret: it sits above a vast, bright gallery space. Since The Batsford Gallery opened, we have welcomed over thirty exhibitions, plus workshops, classes, book signings and more. Some of our recent shows include And Where Now? Landscapes Marked by War by Svitlana Dovbush, Worm Witual by Katie King, and RITUAL, a group exhibition featuring the work of Othello De'Souza-Hartley, Katie King, Rosemary Jane Cronin, Leila Alexander, Scary Boots and Christiana Spens. We are part of a vibrant local community of artists and designers on Hackney Road and nearby Columbia Road, and we welcome new ideas and faces!

If you would like to discuss a future exhibition, do get in touch.