Where to buy used books in Portsmouth, South East England

Updated 01/10/2026

Portsmouth, England, the island city on the Hampshire coast, spreads its second-hand books across Portsea Island and the boroughs around its two harbours. In Southsea, Rowans, Sam's Place and the British Heart Foundation keep charity shops with books within 100 metres of one another near the northern end of Palmerston Road, DEBRA trades a short stroll north on Elm Grove, and the WW1 Remembrance Centre in Hilsea sells cheap second-hand books inside its museum. Havant borough to the east adds a church bookshop in Havant town centre, a monthly book room in Old Bedhampton, Bookends in Emsworth and a Wednesday car boot on Hayling Island, while Gosport to the west has an independent bookshop on the Lee-on-the-Solent High Street and a big Sunday boot at Bridgemary. Any price quoted below is in pounds sterling.

The rest takes a longer trip. The Petersfield Bookshop lies about 16 miles north-northeast in East Hampshire, a short walk from Petersfield station on the line between London Waterloo and Portsmouth. Three more wait over the water on the Isle of Wight: a ten-room shop on Ryde High Street, The Goose on the green at St Helens, and the Oxfam book shop in Newport's St Thomas Square.

Spot map

The best spots

Antiquarian & second-hand bookshop

The Petersfield Bookshop

16a Chapel St, Petersfield GU32 3DS

About 16 miles north-northeast of Portsmouth city centre, in the East Hampshire market town of Petersfield, a rambling shop whose history page goes back to 1918, when Dr Harry Roberts and the artist Flora Twort opened it at 1 The Square; Frank and Ann Westwood bought the business in 1958 and moved it into a former stables and bread store at 16a Chapel Street. Inside it is shelf after shelf of antiquarian and second-hand books plus antique maps and prints, and the forecourt shelves never close, with an honesty box in the door for anything you pick up out of hours. It will consider a lone volume or a houseful, with no appointment needed while the shop is open, emailed photos answered within 48 hours and house calls across the region, though encyclopaedias and magazines are refused. Its events page for October 2026 listed Knit and Chatter on Thursday 8 October and Surrealist Games on Saturday 10 October.

Hours: Mon–Sat 10am–5pmWebsite

Second-hand bookshops

Bookends of Emsworth

7 High St, Emsworth PO10 7AQ

In Emsworth, at the eastern end of Havant borough close to the West Sussex line, a small shop of carefully selected second-hand books that also carries greetings cards and sells tickets for local concerts. Its About page says the present owner came from years at Heffers in Cambridge and took over from the previous owner, who ran Bookends for 38 years, first in Havant and then in Emsworth. Would-be sellers should ring or write first instead of arriving unannounced with a carload, and a sizeable collection can earn a home visit within the Emsworth area. WemsFest was still naming Bookends as a ticket outlet for its Fairport Convention show on 27 October 2026.

Hours: Mon–Fri 10am–4pm, Sat 9:30am–4:30pmWebsite

New, second-hand and antiquarian bookshop

Ryde Bookshop

135 High St, Ryde, Isle of Wight PO33 2RJ

On the Isle of Wight, six miles south-southwest of Portsmouth city centre, ten rooms opposite the Catholic church on Ryde High Street hold more than 30,000 new and second-hand books, from remaindered bargains to antiquarian volumes over a century old. The shop steers towards specialist subjects rather than bestsellers, naming island history, travel, transport and the military, and much of its stock is also listed on AbeBooks and Amazon. Its home page promises opening every day including bank holidays, with Christmas Day the single exception, and a snapshot of that page saved by the Internet Archive on 12 June 2026 shows the identical seven-day timetable.

Hours: Mon–Sat 9am–5pm, Sun 10am–4pmWebsite

Church charity shop and bookshop

St Faith's Charity & Bookshop

2-4 North St, Havant PO9 1PR

In Havant town centre, St Faith's Church has kept a charity shop going since September 1975 and moved it from the Coach House in The Pallant to North Street in May 2022, where it has since opened a second-hand bookshop section with a comfy sofa for browsing. The church's shop page describes it as the only second-hand bookshop in Havant and takes donated books during opening hours, asking that nothing is left outside the door. The shop signs its 2026 Facebook posts as St Faith's Charity & Bookshop, one of them inviting families to a storytime with colouring on Wednesday 5 August 2026.

Hours: Mon–Fri 9:30am–4:30pm, Sat 9:30am–4pmWebsite

All spots by type

Second-hand bookshops

The Goose Books

Newlands House, Lower Green Rd, St Helens, Isle of Wight PO33 1TS

Across the Solent on the Isle of Wight, some seven miles south of Portsmouth city centre, The Goose occupies Newlands House on the village green at St Helens and says it has sold books there to locals and holidaymakers for more than 40 years, from rarities and treasured classics to plain readable copies for adults and children. Its walls carry Barbara Jones's original watercolours for The Isle of Wight, the 1950 volume in the King Penguin series. Anyone selling should arrange an appointment by phone or email and pack the boxes spine up so the first look can happen in the car boot, while bigger libraries get a house call that may start with a WhatsApp video chat. In July 2026 the Isle of Wight County Press reported that the council had approved a cultural space next door, at 19 Lower Green Road, for author readings and storytelling evenings linked to the shop.

Hours: Mon–Sat 10am–4pmWebsite

Indie bookshop, new and pre-loved

The Book Shop

142 High St, Lee-on-the-Solent PO13 9DD

Over in Gosport borough, on the High Street at Lee-on-the-Solent, a family-run independent that dates its trading to 1928, in the building where Leonard Miles opened the first of his bookshops, and that plans a centenary in 2028. Its Facebook introduction lists new and pre-loved books next to arts and crafts, toys, stationery, cards and vinyl, and when The News visited for Small Business Saturday in December 2024 it singled out a large second-hand and children's book section. The shop's website was promoting an author evening with AJ West on Wednesday 14 October 2026, and on 30 September 2026 it was taking WhatsApp reservations for a special edition chosen by its book club.

Hours: Mon–Sat 9:30am–4:30pmWebsite

Charity shops

Oxfam Books & Music

Oxfam Bookshop Newport

4-5 St Thomas Square, Newport, Isle of Wight PO30 1SN

Inland on the Isle of Wight, about 11 miles southwest of Portsmouth city centre, Oxfam's Newport Books & Music stands in the market square of the island's main shopping town. Oxfam describes the stock as high-quality used books and music, vintage and modern, next to fair-trade gifts and an exclusive selection of work by local artists, and it recruits volunteers for the town's second Oxfam on Upper St James Street. Oxfam's listing for the shop was archived on 17 April 2026 with the Monday-to-Saturday hours it still showed in October 2026.

Hours: Mon–Sat 9am–5pmWebsite

Charity shop (Rowans Hospice)

Rowans Hospice Southsea Emporium

11 Marmion Rd, Southsea PO5 2AT

On Marmion Road in Southsea, the local hospice runs this branch as a boutique-style charity shop whose page lists books among the vintage antiques, home decor and clothes that keep changing on the shop floor. The University of Portsmouth's guide to the city's charity shops, published on 2 April 2025, picked it out for clothing, books and homeware. Every sale helps fund end-of-life care at Rowans Hospice, and this branch keeps Sunday hours on top of its six-day week.

Hours: Mon–Sat 9:30am–5pm, Sun 10am–4pmWebsite

Charity shop (Samaritans)

Sam's Place

6 Grove Rd South, Southsea PO5 3QT

Just round the corner from the Rowans shop on Grove Road South, a Southsea charity shop that raises money for the Portsmouth and East Hampshire branch of Samaritans and doubles as a meeting room local groups can hire. Books sit among the donated clothes, china, kitchenware and paintings, and the University of Portsmouth named it for books and music in its April 2025 round-up of the city's charity shops. Donors are asked to call or email ahead of a large drop, selected pieces go on the shop's eBay account, and its doors open on a Sunday only on days when the Palmerston Road street market is trading. The Portsmouth Samaritans branch posted on 3 August 2026 that Sam's Place had just made its first appearance with a stall at the Love Southsea street market.

Hours: Mon–Sat 10am–5pmWebsite

Charity shop (British Heart Foundation)

British Heart Foundation Southsea

7 Palmerston Rd, Southsea PO5 3QQ

On Palmerston Road in Southsea, less than 100 metres from both Rowans and Sam's Place, the British Heart Foundation shop raises money for the charity's heart research. When the University of Portsmouth listed the city's charity shops on 2 April 2025, it credited this branch with books, clothing, accessories and homeware at affordable prices. The shop page adds greetings cards, pin badges and small gifts to the second-hand stock and asks donors to use the drop point inside the shop.

Hours: Mon–Sat 9:30am–5pm, Sun 10am–4pmWebsite

Charity shop (DEBRA)

DEBRA Southsea

51 Elm Grove, Southsea PO5 1JF

Up on Elm Grove, roughly 400 metres north of the Palmerston Road charity shops, this Southsea branch of DEBRA funds support and research for people living with epidermolysis bullosa (EB). The University of Portsmouth's guide of 2 April 2025 pointed readers here for books as well as second-hand fashion, homeware, electrical items and furniture. DEBRA's page for the branch includes books in its list of welcome donations and offers free collection of unwanted furniture.

Hours: Mon–Sat 9am–5pm, Sun 10am–4pmWebsite

Museum second-hand bookshop

WW1 Remembrance Centre Bookshop

Bastion 6, Hilsea Lines, Airport Service Rd, Portsmouth PO3 5PJ

On the northern edge of Portsea Island, in Bastion 6 of the Hilsea Lines, the volunteer-run World War 1 Remembrance Centre announced on Facebook on 2 September 2025 that its second-hand bookshop was open. Most books cost £2 or £3, some of them military titles and plenty of them not, and every penny goes to the museum, which visitors are invited to look round while they choose. Volunteers staff the centre, which warns that its times cannot be guaranteed and may change without warning, and free parking is reached from Airport Service Road.

Hours: Tue–Thu 11am–2pm, Sun 11am–2pmWebsite

Car boot sales & markets

Car boot sale

Bridgemary Car Boot

Bridgemary School, Wych Ln, Gosport PO13 0JN

In Gosport, at Bridgemary School off Wych Lane, a Sunday car boot that its organiser describes as large, held on grass in good weather and on hard standing through the winter. Facebook posts from the organiser opened it on bank holiday Monday, 31 August 2026, with sellers let in at 6:30am and buyers at 7am, and on 11 September 2026 offered indoor pitches ahead of a damp Sunday. Books never feature in those announcements, so a find here is a matter of luck rather than a promise.

Website

Car boot sale

Hayling Island car boot at Funland

Funland, Sea Front, Hayling Island PO11 0AG

On the Hayling Island seafront in Havant borough, a Wednesday car boot that used to fill the car park of the Beachlands amusement arcade moved to the Funland car park next door. The News reported on 10 April 2025 that it had been granted permanent planning permission on the new site, every Wednesday from 8am to 12:30pm. On Facebook the organiser advertises the weekly sale at £10 a car for sellers and confirmed it was going ahead on Wednesday 30 September 2026, though none of those posts mentions books, so fold it into a seaside morning rather than planning a dedicated run.

Website

Library book sales

Monthly charity book room

The Elms Library of pre-loved books

The Elms, 2 Lower Rd, Bedhampton, Havant PO9 3LH

In Old Bedhampton, on the Havant side of the city boundary, the Manor Trust opens the Waterloo Room of The Elms, a Grade II* listed house, for a community café held monthly on its second Tuesday, while the Elms collection of pre-loved books is open during those mornings. The trust's 2026 calendar has three sessions left, in mid-October, in November and in early December, each from 10am until noon, with the October morning advertised on the trust's front page as a Coffee Morning & Book Sale. There is no need to book, and the same charity is responsible for the upkeep of the house and its Regency banqueting hall.

Hours: Tue 13 October, 10 November and 8 December 2026, 10am–12pmWebsite

Scan before you buy

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Local sourcing tips

Jade Mountain at 17-19 Highland Road in Southsea is a second-hand shop whose website counts over 15,000 books, from Penguins and pocket editions to nautical, transport and military shelves, and gives Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday as its days, with Tuesday and Thursday shut. The site gives two different morning opening times on two of its pages, and its Facebook page has said nothing since November 2020, so ring 07926 294195 before building an afternoon around it.
The Portsmouth and Southsea Car Boot Sale on Duisburg Way, Southsea Common, is finished for the year: on 23 September 2026 its organiser billed Sunday 27 September as the last boot of the 2026 season. Books go unmentioned in those announcements, which send buyers to the pay-and-display parking nearby, so keep an eye on its Facebook page for the next season's dates.
Community at Fratton Park, a local page whose posts carry the #TescoCommunity tag, runs a charity book stall where shoppers can donate pre-loved books or buy them, with the takings going to a chosen local cause, MAKE@Aldingbourne in Fratton for July to September 2026. On 30 July 2026 the page reported handing Age UK Portsmouth a cheque for £474.84 raised by the stall over nine months.
Older directories send you to two counters that will not help. New To You Books on Cosham High Street, which sold new and second-hand titles, announced on 30 December 2025 that it would close in mid-March 2026, and its post of 10 March 2026 counted five days of trading left. Listings for an Oxfam Books & Music on West Street in Fareham are out of date too: Oxfam's own shop finder in October 2026 put no branch in Portsmouth, Fareham, Gosport or Havant, the nearest being the pair in Newport on the Isle of Wight.
Titchfield Car Boot, on Titchfield Road in Fareham borough, announces each sale on Facebook, Sundays plus bank holiday Mondays, and the last one posted before October 2026 fell on 27 September with a later start for buyers and dogs welcome on short leads. It has not published an end date for the season, so look at the page on the Saturday before you drive out.
Two clusters can be done without much driving. In Havant borough, St Faith's on North Street is about a mile from The Elms in Bedhampton and roughly two miles from Bookends in Emsworth, which makes a Bedhampton book-room Tuesday the obvious day to string all three together. Over in Gosport, The Book Shop at Lee-on-the-Solent and the Bridgemary boot are under two miles apart, yet their published days do not overlap: Bridgemary trades on Sundays, plus the late-August bank holiday Monday in 2026, and the bookshop shuts on Sundays and bank holidays alike.
On the Isle of Wight, Ryde Bookshop and The Goose at St Helens are about three miles apart and Newport's Oxfam is roughly six miles inland from Ryde. The Goose and the Oxfam both close on Sundays, whereas Ryde Bookshop opens seven days a week, so a Sunday crossing reaches only one of the three.

Frequently asked questions

Where can I find cheap used books in Portsmouth?

Start with the charity shops of Southsea. Rowans on Marmion Road, Sam's Place on Grove Road South and the British Heart Foundation on Palmerston Road are neighbours in the same few streets, with DEBRA further up on Elm Grove, and the University of Portsmouth's April 2025 round-up named all four for books. In Hilsea the WW1 Remembrance Centre prices most of its second-hand stock at £2 or £3, St Faith's in Havant has its own bookshop corner, and the Manor Trust unlocks its pre-loved book collection at The Elms in Bedhampton on the month's second Tuesday until the end of 2026. For pure luck, the car boots run on Wednesdays at Funland on Hayling Island and on Sundays at Bridgemary in Gosport, though neither organiser promises books.

Where do I sell used books in Portsmouth?

Three shops on this page buy. The Petersfield Bookshop takes walk-ins from Monday to Saturday, answers emailed photos within 48 hours and visits whole libraries, but turns down encyclopaedias and magazines. The Goose on the Isle of Wight works by appointment or house call and likes boxes packed spine up, and Bookends in Emsworth expects to hear from you by email or phone first and will come out to larger collections around Emsworth. Snap the shelf once in BiblioScan while the books are still at home: it shows what each recognised spine would resell for, which separates the few copies worth your own eBay.co.uk listing from the bulk better offered to a dealer or given to charity.

Which day is best for book hunting in Portsmouth?

Saturday covers the most ground: apart from the WW1 Remembrance Centre, every bookshop and charity shop here trades that day, from Southsea and Havant borough to Petersfield, Lee-on-the-Solent and all three island stops. Wednesday adds the Funland car boot on Hayling Island and one of the Remembrance Centre's midday sessions, and the second Tuesday of the month brings the Elms book room in Bedhampton, open for two hours from 10am. Sunday still has options: Rowans, the British Heart Foundation and DEBRA in Southsea, the Remembrance Centre, Ryde Bookshop and the Bridgemary boot all trade, while Sam's Place opens only when the Palmerston Road market is on.

Are there any used book fairs in Portsmouth?

Not on the Provincial Booksellers Fairs Association calendar: on 1 October 2026 its next two fairs were in Sherborne on Saturday 10 October and Oxford on Saturday 17 October. Closer to home, the Manor Trust runs its Coffee Morning & Book Sale in the Waterloo Room at The Elms, Bedhampton, on Tuesday 13 October 2026, followed by the same monthly book room on 10 November and 8 December.

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