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Topping & Company in St Andrews, a blue shopfront with a canopy and windows full of books.
Fife

Topping & Company

A large independent bookshop on Greyfriars Garden in St Andrews, with author events all year and open every day until 8.30pm.

Welcome

Topping & Company is an independent bookshop at 7 Greyfriars Garden in St Andrews, run by a family firm that also has shops in Ely, Bath, Edinburgh and York.

It opened here in 2014 and doubled its floorspace in 2022 by taking over the building next door, so there are now around 70,000 books to browse, including an extensive range of golf titles.

Coffee with a Bookseller is a consultation over tea or coffee, with suggestions tailored to what you already like to read, and the voucher you buy for it goes entirely on books. The shop also runs a literary festival all year round, with authors in the event space for a talk of about an hour, then questions and often a signing. It is open every day, including Sunday, until 8.30pm. After 7.30pm check the events page first, as parts of the shop sometimes close for internal events.

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Before you go

Open every day, including Sunday, until 8.30pm.

Browsing needs no booking.

Where
7 Greyfriars Garden, St Andrews, Fife KY16 9HG; telephone (01334) 585 111.
Open
9am to 8.30pm every day, including Sunday. After 7.30pm check the events page first, as parts of the shop sometimes close for events.
Events
A literary festival all year: talks usually last about an hour, followed by questions and often a chance to meet the speaker and have a book signed. Dates are on the shop's St Andrews events page.
Coffee with a Bookseller
A book consultation over tea or coffee in the shop, booked by emailing standrews@toppingbooks.co.uk with dates and times. It is bought as a voucher from £75 to £750, all of which goes on books, with no extra charge for the time; slots are limited each week, and some of their shops cannot offer consultations on Saturdays or Sundays, so check first.

Opening hours

Monday
9am–8.30pm
Tuesday
9am–8.30pm
Wednesday
9am–8.30pm
Thursday
9am–8.30pm
Friday
9am–8.30pm
Saturday
9am–8.30pm
Sunday
9am–8.30pm

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Where it is

At 7 Greyfriars Garden in St Andrews, KY16 9HG.

Close bySt Andrews.
  1. Spoiled Life, FifeSpoiled LifeA clothing, homeware and lifestyle shop with a coffee bar on Greyfriars Garden in St Andrews, with apartments of its own to let.Under a mile 1 min by road
  2. The bar at Haar in St Andrews, with wooden stools at a stone-topped counter, blue armchairs and its awards on the wall.HaarUnder a mile as the crow flies
  3. The dining room at Forgan's in St Andrews, long tables under walls of shelves, books and framed pictures.Forgan'sA restaurant and bar in the old cleek factory on Market Street in St Andrews, with Scottish food and a free ceilidh on Saturday nights.Under a mile 2 min by road
  4. Bronze cat statue on a stone plinth beneath bunting flagsHamish McHamish StatueA bronze of Hamish McHamish, the ginger cat of St Andrews, by David Annand, in Church Square beside Holy Trinity Church.Under a mile 2 min by road
  5. Stone archway framing the ruined tower and walls of St Andrews CathedralSt Andrews CathedralThe ruins of what was once Scotland's largest church, begun in 1160 and dedicated in 1318, at the east end of St Andrews beside St Rule's Tower.Under a mile 2 min by road
  6. Illuminated display panels line a dark museum gallery with glowing floor exhibitsThe R&A World Golf MuseumThe museum of golf at St Andrews, beside the Old Course, telling over 400 years of the game through thousands of objects, with a putting green inside.Under a mile 2 min by road
Directions
The dining room at Ondine in Seaton House, St Andrews, with a long marble-topped bar on one side and tables by tall windows on the other.RestaurantsOndine Oyster & Grill0.2 miles
Tables in the glass-walled dining room of the Seafood Ristorante, St Andrews, with the sea and the beach beyond the windows.RestaurantsThe Seafood Ristorante0.2 miles
Glass-fronted students' union building with "Your Union" sign beside a bus stopAttractionsUniversity Quad0.3 miles
Carved wooden pews line the aisle beneath stained glass windows and vaulted ceilingAttractionsSt Salvator’s Chapel0.3 miles
Battered fish and chips with tartare sauce and a lemon sliceRestaurantsCromars0.3 miles
Red sandstone hotel overlooking St Andrews golf links, seen through railingsAttractionsSt Andrews0.4 miles
St Andrews Castle, the ruined gatehouse range and tower on the green above the sea.AttractionsSt Andrews Castle0.5 miles
The Road Hole Restaurant at the Old Course Hotel, St Andrews: tables, a long banquette and tall windows looking out over the course.RestaurantsRoad Hole Restaurant0.5 miles
Golden retriever rests by "The Himalayas" putting green sign near St Andrews clubhouseAttractionsThe Himalayas0.6 miles

Recommend to a friend

Stay nearby

Places to stay near the bookshop, and when each is next free.

The black timber cabin's exterior, with a chimney above the roofline and a freestanding bath standing on the decking below.Bracken Treehouse at Airdit
  • Sleeps 2
  • In Balmullo
  • 7 miles from Topping & Company
Free 8–10 NovAn orange leather sofa draped with a sheepskin faces a stone fireplace beneath a timber ceiling, a staircase rising behind.The Old Stable
  • Sleeps 2
  • In Pittenweem
  • 9 miles from Topping & Company
Free 31 Oct – 2 NovThe Crow’s Nest, FifeThe Crow’s Nest
  • Sleeps 4
  • In Pittenweem
  • 9 miles from Topping & Company
Free 2–5 NovFifies, FifeFifies
  • Sleeps 2
  • In Pittenweem
  • 9 miles from Topping & Company
Free 1–3 NovPlaces to stayEvery stay in FifeAll our places to stay nearby, to search by date and by who is coming.See them all
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