The Mitfords, a Duke, and a shared and everlasting love of books – the secrets to Heywood Hill’s success

Situated at 10 Curzon Street, in the heart of Mayfair, just around the corner from Berkeley Square, Heywood Hill is one of the leading bookshops of London, and a literary landmark in its own right.

Her Late Majesty’s favourite bookshop, it has been around for eight decades, ever since George Heywood Hill first opened the door in 1936. The blue plaque set in the wall at the front, shown here, is a reminder that Nancy Mitford took the reins while the owner did his bit in the army during the Second World War. The Mitford family connection continued when The Duke of Devonshire – married to Deborah, the youngest of the celebrated Mitford sisters – bought it in 1991. The current Duke remains the owner, while its chairman is his son-in-law, Nicky Dunne.

Staffed with serious bibliophiles, the business assembles around 30 libraries in private homes and corporate settings each year and on any subject under the sun.

What makes Heywood Hill such an ideal partner for LAPADA’S Berkeley Square Fair is that it lives by the same code of doing business: building up close loyal relationships with customers on a personal basis. While art and antiques dealers set out on a journey of discovery with their clients, exploring their likes and helping shape their tastes in the fine and decorative arts over the years, while pointing the way to appropriate pieces, Heywood Hill does the same with books. The process starts with the client taking part in a reading consultation with a member of staff, helping the latter to identify their literary tastes before the subscription staff discuss titles they might like.

Handily titled A Year In Books, the subscription service involves sending out a number of books each year based on the individual’s criteria, this simple but brilliant idea helping to form the bedrock of the shop’s income. It is also a highly original gift idea, as is the selection of tailored gift boxes of books, ranging from £150 to £1,000. You can find out all about that, as well as the beautifully bound bespoke collections, from Waugh to Wodehouse and Christie to Le Carré at www.heywoodhill.com