Fred's Bookshop ~ English Lake District

Thanks for the support Eileen! 🥰

Still time to buy books for Christmas from @gritstonebooks.bsky.social gritstonecoop.co.uk/shop/?orderb... But if you’re in the Lakes please go to @fredsbookshop.bsky.social in Ambleside

bookshop corner with Sarah and Jocelyn laughing and talking in front of the window with Jocelyn's art and many copies of Helm in, with drystone wall, trees, field and the wet road behind them.

Panel with green and pink-orange background, picture of cover of indie edition of Helm and text: To celebrate the publication of the acclaimed Cumbrian author Sarah Hall’s new novel, Helm, fi ve local artists have each been paired with an independent bookshop to create an installation that offers a unique interpretation of the Helm Wind. The Helm Wind is a strong north-easterly wind hitting the western slopes of Cross Fell in Cumbria and is the only named wind in the UK. It features in weather warnings and local folklore alike, and it is known for its wave-like form. This is a partnership between the publisher Faber & Faber and the art collective A Public House to celebrate the publication of Helm by Sarah Hall. The fi ve independent bookshops displaying artists’ work are Bookends in Carlisle, Fred’s Bookshop in Ambleside, Sam Read Bookseller in Grasmere, Westwood Books in Sedbergh and Verey Books in Pooley Bridge. Exclusive signed independent bookshop edition available now

Orange and green background with white text: Jocelyn McGregor has created a new series of illustration-style paintings on paper for Sam Read Booksellers, depicting the various stages of irritation at having long hair in the Helm Wind that turn a pleasant walk into a battle with the elements. The artwork plays with the possible origin of the name ‘Helm’ as a helmet or cap in Anglo-Saxon and the folklore surrounding long hair as having semi-autonomous power, strength and mystical abilities. About the artist Jocelyn McGregor is a multi-disciplinary artist based in Cumbria. She holds a BFA in Fine Art from the Ruskin School of Fine Art and an MFA in Sculpture at the Slade School of Fine Art. She was awarded a Henry Moore Foundation Grant (2023), Sculpture in the City: Aldgate Square Commission 2022–3, the British Council SWAP UK/Ukraine Residency 2019–20 and Bloomberg New Contemporaries in 2018. Key exhibitions include No Notion of Loving by Halves, God’s House Tower, Southampton (UK); DREDGED, Windermere Jetty Museum, Cumbria (2023–4); Lapsus Calami, Marlborough London (2023–4); Trespassers Will be Detected?, Dnipro Centre for Contemporary Culture, Ukraine (2020).

Sarah Hall standing in front of the centre panel of the window, holding a copy of Helm and smiling gently, with fells reflected in the glass in front of the art work, so one of the heads with long hair blown about their face is just above Sarah's short-haired head.

It's so great to see a publisher supporting creativity in a writer's local area like this. Visit our fellow Cumbrian Indies @fredsbookshop.bsky.social, Verey Books, @bookendscarlisle.bsky.social and @westwoodbooks.bsky.social to see the other artists' work.
#ChooseBookshops #CumbriaCulture #BookSky

Though they may not have been around in Sam Read's day, Cumbria supports an array of amazing #IndieBookshops. @fredsbookshop.bsky.social in Ambleside turns 70 this year, then there's @westwoodbooks.bsky.social in Sedbergh, @bookendscarlisle.bsky.social and The New Bookshop in Cockermouth (est 1968).

Thanks for popping in @fellranger.bsky.social 😊

Guidebook writer @fellranger.bsky.social popped into @fredsbookshop.bsky.social to sign a few guides #LakeDistrict #Ambleside

Now available at @fredsbookshop.bsky.social in Ambleside.

Nostalgia time as @fredsbookshop.bsky.social marks a big anniversary northwestnewsandfeatures.wordpress.com/2025/06/30/s... What can you find on YOUR shelves? #books #1950s #Ambleside

If we don’t have a book you want on the shelf we can order it in next day (or next next day if Saturday) and we post anywhere from our online shop. There’s a whole bunch of brilliant indies in Cumbria including - @westwoodbooks.bsky.social @fredsbookshop.bsky.social @bookendscarlisle.bsky.social

It's Independent Bookshop Week. Ways you can support them:

-Don't browse a little bookshop, make a mental note of titles, then get them on Amazon. Buy the books then and there! Dare you!

-Get them to order books in, they almost always can.

-Just march in and present them with a huge bag of money.

A million thanks to the amazing @louiseminchin.bsky.social and @fredsbookshop.bsky.social helping raise funds for Move charity at the Burn How Hotel in Bowness! #5kyourway

We are open across the Easter weekend! 🎉

PLUS! Over on our online shop, buy any book this entire Easter holiday (18th-21st) and you’ll be in with a chance to win a £250 digital gift card for @bookshop-org-uk.bsky.social 🎉

Browse our shop here uk.bookshop.org/shop/fredsbo...

Ambleside and the Lake District has been bathed in some incredible spring sunshine over the last week, with the flowers and blossoms also coming into bloom 🌸

The perfect weather for a lazy afternoon reading in the sunshine! 📚
#lakedistrict #Ambleside

Three recently released paperbacks that our booksellers LOVED!

You can check out our run down of April new releases over on our @bookshop-org-uk.bsky.social page here….>
uk.bookshop.org/lists/april-...

#BookSky #IndieBookshop

We were thrilled that author @ljross.bsky.social popped in the shop over the weekend for a surprise visit - and she very kindly signed ALL of our books from the DCI Ryan detective series set in Northumberland - from 1 to 23!

Be quick; we don’t think these will here long!
#BookSky #ljross

The Easter holidays kick off this week, and our upstairs section for kids looks tip-top with a wide range of books for all ages - from picture books for little ones to activity books for creative young minds and chapter books for older kids to enjoy in their holiday downtime.
#lakedistrict #bookshop

hurrah! great to see she's back in situ! Though i enjoyed the brief stint of soap opera jeopardy! Hope the other females find local mates/nests.

😲 cor blimey... I'll get the popcorn!

Happy Spring Equinox! 🌼

We have two books for you to help welcome in the new season! #springbooks #naturewriting

It was lovely to meet Jenn today, who popped in with an advance copy of her memoir, The Parallel Path, which is out in July documents her moving journey of walking the Coast to Coast path post-lockdown. You can preorder your copy and find out more here uk.bookshop.org/a/28/9781399...

Hot off the press, a selection of our new releases and editions for March!

And just LOOK at the colour combination 😍

We have new signed and indie special edition books arriving regularly, so do pop in for a browse!
#indiebookshop

Dates for your diaries to come along and meet the authors at the book club with a difference in Bowness www.burnhow.co.uk/invitation-t... @lakedistrict.bsky.social @cumbriatourism.bsky.social @fredsbookshop.bsky.social @samreadbookseller.bsky.social

Thank you for sharing Lindsay - so pleased you enjoyed it - it’s a masterpiece!

I finished reading this today and I am left utterly destroyed. A masterpiece. Thank you to Steve at @fredsbookshop.bsky.social for the wonderful recommendation! #booksky

A lovely stack of recent notable releases we think you should know about!

Treat yourself (or someone you love, given the upcoming event on Friday 🤪) to a lovely new book this week!

Lots more new release goodness for Feb here uk.bookshop.org/lists/februa...?

Our wee bookshop in the English Mountains 🥰
#ambleside #lakedistrict #fredsbookshop #wintersun

Here’s Our Fred! 🎉
This year see’s Fred Holdsworth (our founding father!) reach the splendid age of 93! 🎂
We’re so grateful he opened the Bookshop in 1950’s. what a champ!
He gifted us all decades of bookish wonder and community goodness!
🙂
#indiebookshop #bookseller #foundingfather #birthdayboy