Name: Astley Book Farm : Bedworth

Soar End Farm
Astley Lane
Bedworth
Warwickshire
CV12 0NE

024 7649 0235

A true one-off attraction in the UK, Astley Book Farm is a beautiful barn conversion housing the passion of its owners - books. New bookshops in the area are few and far between and second-hand are virtually non-existent. In fact, the sad trend is for bookshops nationally to close rather than open and where they do exists they are like supermarkets - alien, cold and typically uninviting. The Astley Book Farm rips up the rule book and realises that books are, and will always be a fundamental, rich and profoundly enjoyable part of human life. Brwosing here rekindles the almost forgotten sense of the wonder of books - and there are some beautiful antique books mixed in with the everyday - and there's time and worlde enough for the looking. The location too could not be more indicative of the magic that has been created - situated on the Arbury Estate, the farm is situated in the heart of the birthplace of George Eliot. The beautifully renovated old farm buildings - and beautiful is the right word, provide a welcoming, warm and comfortable atmosphere for browsing and purchasing. Astleys is an attraction with a difference - fulfilling a real need for the local community, attracting tourists from throughout Britain physically and online - and a paradigm example of how a rural enterprise can and must be a part of the modern tourism economy. Brave, inspiring, exciting, innovative - and magical, the Astley Book Farm does something more than attract visitors - it reminds us of a way of life that deserves treasuring. Astley Book Farm