Word on the Water
a bookshop that floats
A beloved floating bookshop on a 1920s Dutch barge moored by the canal at King's Cross, free to browse with live jazz on its roof.
Free to visit · King's Cross · King's Cross St Pancras · N1C 4LW
Opening: Daily, roughly noon–7pm
Moored on the canal beside Granary Square is Word on the Water, a wonderfully atmospheric bookshop housed in a hundred-year-old Dutch barge. Wood-panelled and stuffed with secondhand and new books, with a wood-burning stove going in winter, it is free to step aboard and browse, and one of the most photographed spots in King's Cross.
On the roof deck the owners host live jazz and poetry, so on a good day you can rummage for a paperback to the sound of a brass band by the water. It is free to enjoy, a romantic and slightly ramshackle delight that has become a genuine London institution.
Getting there: On Regent's Canal by Granary Square, a couple of minutes from King's Cross.
Best time to go: A dry afternoon, especially when there is music on the roof deck.
Insider tip: Catch it on a weekend afternoon when there is often live music on the roof deck. It moves occasionally, so it is worth a quick check it is moored at King's Cross before a special trip.
Free things to do in London · London Free Guide