I guess the topic title and description sum up my question:
Does anyone know a good second hand sheet music shop in London? One where you can browse through their music for a couple of hours (and come out poorer)!

Are there such things as second hand sheet music shops?

There's a really good one in Great Malvern - a big room in a second hand book shop, though that's probably not of much use to you, kerioboe.

Try typing in "second hand sheet music" in the search box.

Also try "Jean Billington"

Go on to www.organfax.co.uk

Look in the index on the home page for Jean Billington or come up to Lancashire, visit "Bygone Times" in the village of Eccleston, near Chorley. It's an all year round antiques/second hand market. There's a H U G E selection of s/h music on one stand. I could spend all day there.

Yes! Travis and Emery in Cecil Court, a little pedestrian alley-way that runs between Charing Cross Road and St. Martin's Lane, just south of Leicester Square underground station. Turn left as you come out of the station, and I think it's the second turning on the left. I've rarely come out empty-handed! An Aladdin's cave for musicians, very small, with floor to ceiling shelves full of music.

http://www.travis-and-emery.com/

Good hunting!

We have loads of charity and antique shops in my part of Kent. Rochester in particular has a couple where you can browse through second hand music. Have got quite a lot of mine from there.

Hay-On-Wye (bookshop town) has a number of second-hand book shops selling a large variety of sheet music (though it's a bit far from London!)

If you fancy a day out, try Finchcocks. It's not too far from London, and well worth a visit.

http://www.finchcocks.co.uk/

Although mainly a fantastic collection of historic keyboards, the last time I was there (last summer) there was an outbuilding with loads of secondhand sheet music for all sorts of different instruments.

Best wishes

barry

Yes, i've been here! A lovely place, and well worth a visit

Thanks DaCapo. This sounds great and in central London too

I love second-hand sheet music! I think it's the idea that it might have been played in concerts and at all sorts of different places before I got my hands on it. Then again it could have been generally abused by someone preparing for an exam in their front room, but I prefer the more glamourous story!

Ooooh which shop? Where?? I didn't know that!


H-O-W is fantastic, but a long way from me, even, and I'm a loooong way from London!!

Are there any in the middle of England? (or Northern Ireland, for Andrea?)

As an aside...

The late, great, Charles MacDonald ran a shop in the Sussex town of Steyning. Focussing mostly on organ music (he was organist of Sussex University and an ex lay-clerk at York Minster under Francis Jackson) the shop took the form of his front room, with additional stocks downstairs, with a practice organ to try things out. He was fantastic. There was never a rush. He would make coffee, you could stay and chat most of the day really.

You could ring up and say "I need X, Charles, can you help?" and he would put it in the post straight away. You could send the money back another day. Fantastic.

Poor soul died of cancer which took him mercifully quickly. He is sorely missed. Sadly the shop died with him.

Not enough shops like that around these days, in any form, let alone music shops

[quote name='sarah-flute' date='Aug 8 2006, 11:39 PM' post='372567']
[quote name='Suepea' post='372008' date='Aug 7 2006, 10:27 PM']
There's a really good one in Great Malvern - a big room in a second hand book shop, though that's probably not of much use to you, kerioboe.
[/quote]
Ooooh which shop? Where?? I didn't know that!


Face the post office/sorting office, turn right and there is a little row of shops going down to the Priory (if you get to the hotel you've missed it. There is a deli on the corner, the bookshop is (I think) the penultimate shop on the row. The music room is on the 1st floor at the end of the corridor........the former contents of my bank account are in their till!

The music comes to them via a dealer in Oxford and gets re-stocked about once a month. If there is something specific you are after they are more than happy to look out for it for you.

Thanks, I'll keep those directions for the next time I'm in Malvern