Peterborough, the cathedral city in Cambridgeshire rather than its namesake in Ontario, keeps its second-hand books mostly on charity shelves. Central Peterborough has the Salvation Army's two-floor shop on Long Causeway, the British Heart Foundation on Bridge Street and the Deafblind UK shop in the Rivergate arcade, all a short stroll apart, while Sue Ryder's Westwood branch lies out among the north-western estates and the Wellington Street car park fills with a car boot on Sundays. Prices quoted throughout are pounds sterling.
For a proper second-hand bookshop you leave the city. Stamford, over the Lincolnshire border, pairs St Mary's Books, an antiquarian dealer on St Mary's Hill, with an Oxfam that asks for book donations; Oundle in North Northamptonshire has a dedicated Oxfam Books & Music; and the Nene Valley Railway fills a red carriage at Wansford with railway titles and much else.
Charity shop (Salvation Army)Salvation Army Superstore Peterborough
23 Long Causeway, Peterborough PE1 1YJ
On Long Causeway in the city centre, the Salvation Army runs what its Facebook page calls a superstore and community hub, with a so-called geek section on the first floor. A post on 1 October 2026 announced that the book corner had been refreshed and refilled by a volunteer, and one on 27 September 2026 picked out a batch of books at 50p each. The church's web page lists Monday-to-Saturday trading with Sunday closed, and gives 01733 348971 as the shop's number.
Hours: Mon–Sat 9am–5pmWebsite Heritage railway bookshopNene Valley Railway Second Hand Bookshop
Wansford Station, Stibbington, Peterborough PE8 6LR
At Wansford Station, in the Huntingdonshire parish of Sibson-cum-Stibbington 6.2 miles west, the Nene Valley Railway uses a bright red carriage on Platform 4, reached from Platform 3, as its second-hand bookshop. The railway's page about it, as archived in January 2025, covers railway and wider transport titles from coffee-table volumes to scarce out-of-print ones, back issues of magazines such as Steam Days and Backtrack, and sections on sport, gardening, cookery and history, with proceeds going to the line's Travelling Post Office coaches. A railway Facebook post on 26 September 2026 listed the bookshop among that weekend's attractions, though the archived page warned that opening depends on volunteers being available.
Antiquarian and second-hand bookshopSt Mary's Books & Prints
9 St Mary's Hill, Stamford PE9 2DP
Over the county line in Stamford, a South Kesteven town in Lincolnshire 11.3 miles west-north-west, St Mary's Books sits on St Mary's Hill beneath the church it is named after. The business began in Leicester in 1971 and moved here in 1987, its website says, quoting a stock near 50,000 volumes and naming Wisden almanacks, Harry Potter first editions and signed copies as specialities. On 10 September 2025 the shop's blog offered a three-volume 1813 first edition of Pride and Prejudice in full tan leather, which gives an idea of the top shelf. Its Facebook page showed a set of Myths & Legends on 22 August 2026, ready to view in the shop that day, and a large run of Folio editions on 30 September 2026.
Hours: Mon–Sat 9am–6pm, Sun 9am–5pmWebsite Oxfam Books & MusicOxfam Books & Music Oundle
39a West St, Oundle, Peterborough PE8 4EJ
In Oundle, a North Northamptonshire market town 11.5 miles west-south-west, Oxfam runs a dedicated book and music shop at 39a West Street, beside its general shop at number 39. The branch page, which the Wayback Machine stored unchanged on 13 May 2026, calls Oxfam the UK's largest second-hand bookseller and says this branch also sells donated records, CDs and DVDs. Opening times aren't published, so ring 01832 274025 before driving over.
Where can I find cheap used books in Peterborough?
Start on Long Causeway, where a late-September post from the Salvation Army shop priced a pile of books at 50p apiece, then walk down to Deafblind UK in Rivergate, which promises bargain prices on its book stock. Sue Ryder in Westwood and the Sunday car boot on Wellington Street are the other city options. The libraries' summer sale of 2026 charged 10p a book, so watch for a repeat.
Where do I sell used books in Peterborough?
St Paul's Street Bookshop gave up its Stamford premises during Covid but trades by mail order through AbeBooks, and its website says it is still keen to buy quality collections from Stamford, Peterborough, Spalding and the surrounding towns; call 01778 343175. Otherwise Vinted and the British arms of Amazon and eBay are the do-it-yourself routes. Snap the shelf first: BiblioScan takes one photo of your bookcase, recognises the spines and shows what each copy fetches on resale, which tells you whether a title earns its own listing or belongs in a donation bag.
Which charity shops have books in Peterborough?
In the city, the Salvation Army shop on Long Causeway and Deafblind UK in Rivergate both posted about their books in late September 2026, the BHF on Bridge Street called for children's books in a July 2025 post, and Sue Ryder's Westwood page lists books among its stock. Out of town, Oxfam Books & Music in Oundle specialises in books and music, the general Oxfam on Stamford's High Street appeals for book donations, and the Nene Valley Railway's bookshop at Wansford raises money for its Travelling Post Office coaches.
Which day is best for book hunting in Peterborough?
Saturday suits a combined trip: the Salvation Army, the BHF, Deafblind UK, Sue Ryder Westwood, and both Oxfam and St Mary's Books in Stamford all trade that day. Sunday is for car boots, on Wellington Street and, until the end of October, at Tallington; St Mary's Books publishes Sunday hours, the BHF on Bridge Street also opens but its two published Sunday timetables disagree, and Oxfam Stamford has announced plans to add Sundays from mid-October 2026. Oxfam in Oundle and the Wansford bookshop publish no fixed times, so ring Oundle or check the railway's events first.