Welcome

books on the walls: where stories, sounds and spirits intertwine in the heart of Chester.

Nestled within Chester's historic city walls, books on the walls is more than just a bookshop – we're a haven where stories come alive and individuals connect. 

Our carefully curated space brings together a perfect blend of contemporary culture and timeless traditions.

Banish your phone and immerse yourself in our unique atmosphere where literature meets lifestyle:

Artisanal Coffee Bar: Start your day with lovingly nurtured and locally roasted coffee while enjoying your latest read

Craft Beer, Cider and Fine Martinis: Unwind with our handpicked selection of local beers, ciders and spirits

Vinyl & Music Collection: Spin some grooves from our record collection on our in-house turntable and peruse our treasury of new vinyl, cds and cassettes for sale

Daily Press: Stay informed with our wide range of local and national newspapers and periodicals

Art Space: Explore contemporary works by local artists, available to purchase

Board Game Library: Make a new connection over a game of Chester Monopoly

Salty and Sugary Snacks: Graze upon our small but perfectly formed range for our canine as well as human visitors

Located at 2 City Walls, Chester, Cheshire CH1 2JG, we’re proud to be part of the fabric of this fantastic city. 

Our incredible location on Chester’s famous walls makes us the perfect destination for both locals and visitors seeking a unique experience. 

Whether you’re searching for your next favourite book, the perfect album or simply a peaceful spot to enjoy quality coffee and good company, books on the walls welcomes you. 

Our friendly team is ready to help you discover something special and truly social.

books on the walls is delighted to announce the residency of Andy Porter.  Andy will be busy unearthing the poet in those who visit the bookshop and developing the poetic opportunities on offer – with the support of a velvety stream of cappuccino froth.  

Andy is a Cheshire based poet He has been writing poems since 2020 after working for over 30 years as an advertising scriptwriter, copywriter and director.

Andy’s debut poetry collection, “Neighbour’s Got a New Hot Tub” was launched in July 2025 by independent Irish publisher, Luain Press. 

The following month Andy was invited to appear with Rising Tide Events at Electric Picnic, Ireland’s biggest music festival. He performs regularly at Spoken Word nights and is just as happy performing in front of an audience of a handful of people as he is in front of a theatre or festival audience of 150. Andy's work has featured on several podcasts and his poem "You Can't Take it with You" is in The Poetry's Dead's second anthology (published January 2026). His second full collection will be published later this year. Andy lives with his wife Kathy in the village of Great Barrow, where he is surrounded by lunatics, most of whom are his friends.

“These entertaining, high-spirited poems are packed with humour and crafted rhyme. Andy Porter has a natural facility for memorable words, phrases and titles to make you smile” Greg Freeman, Write Out Loud

“Funny, fab images, joyous juxtapositions” Neil Mullarkey, Co-founder, 

The Comedy Store

“A bloody great poet!” Leon Dunne, All Ireland Poetry Slam Champion 2022

“Your book is an amazing achievement (& very funny) - well done mate!”

Mike Garry

Tik Tok: @andyspangles

Insta: @andyporterpoet 

We’re delighted to share that books on the walls was awarded National Book Tokens Bookshop of the Month for August 2025!

We are also proud to be both a supplier and redeemer of National Book Tokens – the perfect gift for book lovers.

Book Launch – Sian Hughes: No Such Thing As Monday (The Indigo Press)

Saturday 18 April 2026

2-3pm

Steffie spends her days working in a dry-cleaner’s, trying to scrub the world clean one garment at a time. But no matter how spotless the clothes, she can’t rid herself of the guilt and grime she feels inside.

Haunted by what happened to her sister when they were children, large fragments of which she can’t fully remember, Steffie is stuck in a loop of self-destruction, defiance, and shame.

When her violent, bullying father dies suddenly, it sparks a reckoning that cracks open her past. What follows is an unexpectedly redemptive journey of a woman trying to piece herself together in a world that failed to make space for her.

Raw, exhilarating, and full of heart, No Such Thing as Monday confirms Sian Hughes as a masterful chronicler of life lived on the edge, and people at their most vulnerable.

Siân Hughes is a writer who grew up in a small village in Cheshire. Her first collection of poetry The Missing was a Poetry Society Recommendation, longlisted for the Guardian First Book Award, shortlisted for the Felix Dennis and the Aldeburgh prizes, and won the Seamus Heaney Award.

Siân’s first novel Pearl was longlisted for The Booker Prize 2023 and shortlisted for The Authors’ Club Best First Novel Award 2024.

‘A stunningly frank and darkly funny novel of loneliness and resilience. I loved it.’

— Bonnie Garmus, author of Lessons in Chemistry

‘In Steffie, Sian Hughes has created one of the most powerful, highly original and hilarious voices in fiction. What she suffers is almost unbearable and yet her resilience knocks the stuffing out of it. It’s deftly woven, the writing is delicious, and it hit my heart like a hammer blow.’

— Rachel Joyce, author of The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry

‘I was blindsided by the brilliance of this novel.’

— Meg Mason, author of Sorrow and Bliss

‘Richly absorbing and powerful – a ’read to the small hours,’ novel. Steffie has a unique voice that keeps you glued to her story, and that I absolutely loved.’

— Kate Hamer, author of The Girl in the Red Coat

Please book your free ticket with books on the walls – hello@booksonthewalls.com

Games Night

Thursday 23 April 2026

6-7.30pm

You are invited to a games night which will take place on the third Thursday of the month. Play one of the board and table-top games at books on the walls or turn up with a favourite from home. 

Inspired by the Middle East, France and Italy, we will serve some Bread Together specials, hand-made slow fermented pizza slices with a variety of toppings. A books on the walls drink will also be included in your ticket price.

Please book tickets with books on the walls, in person or via email hello@booksonthewalls.com

Tickets £5

Women’s Book Swap Club

Wednesday 29 & Thursday 30 April 2026

6.00-7.30pm

At Amblongus (venue to alternate between Amblongus and books on the walls each month)

You are invited to this book swap club which takes place on the last Wednesday and Thursday of the month. Bring along a book to discuss and then swap with another participant. 

Inspired by the Middle East, France and Italy, we serve some Bread Together specials, hand made slow fermented pizza slices with a variety of toppings. A glass of wine or non-alcoholic alternative will also be included in your ticket price.
 

There are 10 places available in the group. 

Please book tickets with either Amblongus or books on the walls, in person or via email hello@booksonthewalls.com or amblongusbooks@gmail.com. 

Poetry Event - Julia McGuinness: Chester City Walls

Saturday 2 May 2026

2-2.30pm

Though she now lives over the border in North Wales, Julia McGuinness is a poet with a strong association with Chester. From 2019-2024, she was Chester Cathedral’s Poet-in-Residence, and the City’s historic walls inspired her first poetry collection.

Chester City Walls guides readers round the Walls today as well as tracking back through time to the stories they hold: patrolling Romans; Georgian promenaders; a Tudor elopement; a Cvil War seige, and a visit by Halley (of comet fame!).

Each poem is a mosaic stone that contributes its piece to the Walls that stand now, where “The human river flows,” in an endless throng of people along and below, from Roman soldiers to modern tourists who “continue the footfall / unawares; / tread on ghosts.”

Free, drop-in

Poetry Event – Colin Anderson: the senseless ramblings of an unremarkable yet likeable oaf 

Saturday 9 May 2026

2 – 2.30pm

Colin Anderson is a Ramsbottom based poet. Author of the unremarkable yet likeable oaf series of poetry collections, as well as appearing in anthologies and podcasts. the senseless ramblings of an unremarkable yet likeable oaf was released October 2025.

His relatable poetry covers all aspects of life. From raising children and the death of loved ones through to the more important matters such as pigeons and accidentally carrying sex toys through customs. Poems that will either make you laugh, cry or both.

Colin's daughter says about his poetry "oh, have you written another one" whilst his son proffered "very good, have you seen my trainers?"

Bespoke bookmark ticket by Miglena Petrova

Poetry Event with Michelle Bosonnett: Constellations (Luain Press)

Saturday 30 May 2026

2-2.30pm

With mystic vision and lyrical grace, Michelle Bosonnett helps us to transcend the boundaries of everyday life, reinvigorating its mundanity with a magic rarely seen in a debut collection. 

"Bosonnett takes us to the stars and beyond." - Lee Sheridan

Free, drop-in

Bespoke book mark ticket created by Susan Wilson @livielovexx

Author Event with James Bailey

Like a Cat Loves a Bird: The Nine Lives of Muriel Spark 

(9 April 26, Sceptre)

Thursday 4 June 2026

6-7.30pm

"This is a deeply stylish, astute and illuminating biography of a fascinating writer" Francesca Wade

"She was, if you believe what you read in the papers: a genius, a survivor, a bad mother, a fickle friend, a closeted lesbian, a tyrant, a loner, an eccentric, a recluse, a gossip, and an arch-manipulator. She would politely encourage you not to believe what you read in the papers."

Muriel Spark was one of literature's great shapeshifters. That mercurial quality is found in her strange, brilliant, cruel novels - with their plots featuring pensioners receiving telephone calls from Death, the devil going clubbing in Peckham and a fascist schoolmistress leading her coterie of girls astray - but it is also true of her as a person.

As sly, nimble and elegant as Spark's own work, Like a Cat Loves a Bird is a thrilling new perspective on a remarkable life and career that spanned much of the twentieth century. From her childhood in Edinburgh to her final years in Tuscany - via South Africa, London, New York and Rome - it traces a light-footed journey around the world and through her strange and magnificent bibliography. It tells an irresistible story of transformation, wit and fierce determination and makes a passionate case for this vital modern artist.

James Bailey is a writer and researcher from Manchester. He is a Doctor of Literature, and the author of Muriel Spark's Early Fiction (2021) and the co-editor of British Women Short Story Writers (2015). His day job involves working to support the development of other writers, as well as publishers, bookshops and literature festivals.

‘What an exciting piece of writing – like a Spark novel, the moment my eyes met the page I knew I wouldn’t be able to stop reading – it will be quite impossible for anyone to read this and not immediately feel the urgent need to read everything she wrote.  A magnificent piece of work.’ Robin Ince

Book your free ticket with books on the walls – hello@booksonthewalls.com

Kate Roberts - Dahab: Gold on Gold

Thursday 11 June 2026

6-7.30pm

Kate Roberts (Nomadikat) is an author, photographer, and interdisciplinary artist whose work explores place, memory, and belonging.

Since her arrival in Dahab just over three years ago, Kate has been gathering impressions, encounters, and stories of the town - listening closely to its landscapes and to the people who call it home.

These magical meetings with fellow Dahabians culminated in the photographic book Dahab: Gold on Gold. The book brings together 33 photographs taken in 33 locations across Dahab, each accompanied by three words shared by 33 local participants, presented in both English and Arabic. 

The locations are mapped using the locational app what3words, grounding each image and voice precisely in place.

Kate will be sharing the story behind the project, the making of the book, and her ongoing creative journey, with time for conversation and book signing.

Tickets £5 (include a drink and Bread Together specials)

An Evening with Playwright Simon Stephens: Sea Wall

Friday 19 June 2026

6-7.30pm

Join Simon Stephens for a conversation about his work with a particular focus on the filmed version of Sea Wall, featuring Andrew Scott and directed by Andy Porter (Poet in Residence at books on the walls).

For more than twenty-five years Simon Stephens’ work has been widely translated and produced throughout the world. He has won many Awards including Olivier and Tony Awards for new plays.

His 2026 play An Ark staged by Tin Drum Collective at the Shed in New York was one of the first plays ever written for Mixed Reality. His radical adaptation of Uncle Vanya, Vanya, starring Andrew Scott, ran in London’s West End and at the Lucille Lortel Theatre, New York between Autumn 23 and Spring 25 and was screened to phenomenal success on NT Live and NT Home. 

His adaptation of Jose Saramago’s Blindness was made into a light and sound installation that was produced internationally during the Covid 19 pandemic. His most famous play is his adaptation of Mark Haddon’s best-selling novel, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time. He has had thirty five original plays produced professionally.

He has written new English language versions of masterpieces by Chekhov, Ibsen and Brecht, collaborated with the world’s leading theatre practitioners (Patrice Chereau, Ivo Van Hove, Marianne Elliott, Katie Mitchell) and produced original work throughout Europe, Asia, Australia and the Americas.

He has been Artistic Associate at the Lyric, Hammersmith and Associate Playwright at the Royal Court Theatre. He has taught playwriting workshops in five continents. He has presented four series of the celebrated Playwright’s Podcast from the Royal Court Theatre. He is a Professor at the Writing School of Manchester Metropolitan University. 

His book "A Working Diary" was published by Methuen Bloomsbury in 2016.

He lives in East London with his wife, three children, their snake, two cats and two dogs. 

Simon’s adaptation of Mark Haddon’s The Curious Incident of A Dog in the Night-Time will run at the Storyhouse from Tuesday 16 March 16 until Saturday 20 March 2027.

Please book your ticket (£5, including a drink and Bread Together pizza) with books on the walls at hello@booksonthewalls.com.

Christopher Tradgett: Just Another Tuesday in Manhattan

Saturday 4 July 2026

2-2.30pm

Christopher Tradgett started writing fiction just recently, after going along to the Write Here, Write Now group at Chester's Storyhouse early last year.

The writing to prompts exercises led initially to some short stories, one of which was featured in the Northwich Literature Festival 2025. This paved the way to another short story, which soon grew to an over 50,000 word novel - Just Another Tuesday in Manhattan.

The story explores themes around adoption, family relationships and friendships against a backdrop of Manhattan, Long Island and ending up in Dublin.

Other recent publications include some short stories and a set of dramatic monologues on themes around climate change. 

Christopher has two other projects on the go - novels based in and around Cheshire.

Free, drop-in

Karen Ankers: Novelist, Poet & Playwright

Saturday 18 July 2026

2-2.30pm

Karen Ankers is a novelist, poet and playwright who spent much of her life in Chester before moving to Anglesey. A former member of the Chester Poets, she has written three novels: The Crossing Place (which is set in Chester), The Stone Dancers, and Luca. Karen’s novels are often socially and environmentally motivated. 

Her fourth novel, Vivo, due to be published by Bridge House very soon, seeks to re-examine the concept of humanity by telling the story of a woman who evolves to be a plant/animal/human hybrid. Vivo has been described by philosopher Matthew Calarco as ‘a profound meditation on the love required to abandon ourselves to the world’.

Karen’s poems have been published in various magazines and anthologies. 

Her short plays, published by Lazybee Scripts, have been performed in the UK, US, Canada, Australia and Malaysia, and regularly win awards at drama festivals. She has also written a short film, The Afterplanner, directed by Ben Mole, which won first prize in its category at the 2018 International Shorts Festival in Canada. 

With a PhD in Creative Writing from Bangor University, Karen works freelance as an editor, mentor, and Creative Writing tutor, and really enjoys helping other writers develop their voice. She enjoys helping to organise literary events in her local area and has directed several successful theatre productions.

Free, drop-in

How to Get Published Workshop with Isabelle Kenyon (Fly on the Wall Press)

Thursday 8 October 2026

6-7.30pm

Are you looking to get published?

Join us for a Q&A event with Isabelle Kenyon, Managing Director of Fly on the Wall Press (x6 finalist, Small Press of the Year, British Book Awards) about the different avenues to getting your book out in the world.

We will cover agents, independent publishers, publication journeys, and what to expect along the way - warts and all!

Fly on the Wall Press books have been listed in the Dublin Literary Award 2026, the Women's Prize 2026, the Sky Arts Award 2025 and the Laurel Prize for Poetry.

www.flyonthewallpress.co.uk

Tickets £8 – book with hello@booksonthewalls.com

Author Event with Gareth Robinson: A Curious Legacy

Saturday 2nd January 2027

2-2.30pm

Gareth Robinson first encountered the Falkland Islands in a school atlas, during an O-level geography lesson in the autumn of 1975. What followed was indeed a curious legacy from that lesson.  In his book, A Curious Legacy…the author writes about his fascination with the Falkland Islands, and his mission to get all over the Islands, much of it on foot. 

It was to be January 1998 before he managed to get to the Falklands, and much had happened in the intervening years.  Tourism was then in its early days.  As Gareth pursued that mission to get all over the Islands - 11 visits and counting - the increased opportunities facilitated the pursuit.  

At his first talk and slide show in January of this year, he gave an insight into the attractions of the Falklands, and illustrated this with photographs taken from islands and hilltops which few get to visit.  Join him for a further talk and slide show, which will draw out the enterprising way in which 'land-based tourism' has been developed, and will include a slide selection of Falklands wildlife, and the empty, peaceful coastlines which are so much part of an island archipelago.

Free, drop-in