Growing up in Sunderland: A love letter to Hills bookshop

So in honour of this year’s event, we wanted to pay tribute to the bookshops of Wearside’s past – all with your help. The Echo team asked followers on our retro Facebook community to shout out the bookshop they would love to visit one last time and the answer was deafening; Hills.

The Waterloo Place treasure trove was a favourite for generations of bookworms and remembered warmly by dozens of you, who took the time to leave a comment or share a memory. It may be almost 20 years since the business sold its last book in 2006, but the recollections live on.

Reader Tracey Ann Moore remembers the treat of getting a Ladybird book every week on a trip to Hills and, really, what can compare to the contentment and excitement of cracking open a new read?

Anthony Cheal added: “Hills was the best.”

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With more than 150 years of history, and previous homes on High Street and Fawcett Street, Hills is a beloved household name that will live on for countless Sunderland families. In 2022, the Waterloo Place building began a new chapter as Hills Arts Centre; a hub now home to a number of city businesses and creatives.

Back with books, others shoppers also remembered regular trips to Durham Book Centre on Vine Place, and Arrowsmith’s in Blandford Street.

Whichever shop was your favourite, we want to know about the childhood stories that stick in your memory – from Heidi, Black Beauty and Milly-Molly-Mandy to The Secret Seven and St Clare’s.