Interview: Lionel Ward of Brendon Books in Taunton

Originally from the Huntingdon area, his love of the South West was sparked by fond memories of childhood family holidays.

So it was that he came to live in Taunton and opened Brendon Books, in Bath Place in February 1989.

“I was born in a small village called Bluntisham, which had a population of around 600,” recalled Lionel.

“Dad was a lorry driver who later worked in local government, while mum used to pick fruit and then worked in a shop.

“He was in the Middle East in the war, and mum was in the WAAF (Women’s Auxiliary Air Force), which is how they got to meet.

“They were involved in the local community, on the parish council.

“There were lots of books in the house, and they instilled the value of education in my three brothers and me.

“Three of us went to university because of their encouragement.

“They were ordinary people who were extraordinary.”

After gaining a history degree at Lancaster University, Lionel and his first wife, Liz, lived in London, where he had several jobs.

Sadly, Liz died at the age of 28, after which Lionel sold their house and decided to think about starting a business.

He said: “I’ve always loved books.

“I read history at Lancaster, but I bought more English books than history ones.

“I had worked for a time at the Barbican Business Bookshop.

“It was brilliant because it closed over the weekend.

“Everyone kept leaving, so I had lots of different jobs there.

“The stockroom was inefficient, so I quickly learned what not to do.”

Lionel and his second wife, Ireland-born Jo, did some research and bought a bookshop in Bath Place that had been open for two years and was on the market.

The owner remains Lionel’s landlord to this day.

“It was great because we wanted to live in a nice area, somewhere like Taunton.

“My first proper holiday with my family had been in Appledore, in Devon.

“It was wonderful, although it took all day to drive there as it was pre-motorways.

“I remember passing Glastonbury Tor and thought the West Country was a magical place.

“We’ve no regrets about moving down here.

“We just love the area, and we’re still exploring it.”

There have been plenty of changes in the book industry since Lionel and Jo first arrived here, and many ups and downs.

“There were four other bookshops in the area when we came down, but now it’s only Waterstones and us,” added Lionel.

“The number of independent bookshops has declined nationally over the years, although it has gone up recently.

“We shifted our focus to new and second-hand books, not just new ones.

“In 2010, we set up the Taunton Literary Festival.

“I published The Lamp magazine for ten years, distributing 14,000 copies with lists of events, helping promote other events in the town, such as music and drama.

“We’ve had to diversify, to offer something slightly different.

“We can order books that are difficult to get, putting on talks is very important to us, and we have good relationships with the Tacchi Morris Centre, Taunton Brewhouse and the library.

"We try to help promote people’s books and offer advice where we can.”

Lionel is currently writing his fourth novel in a series entitled The Elliot Todd Mysteries about a bookseller who becomes an accidental sleuth.

He smiled and pointed to a spot in Brendon Books as he said: “The first murder took place there.”

He added: “Running a bookshop is quite difficult.

“People think you just sit there reading books all day, but organising events, festivals and so on takes up so much time.

“It may not be an easy job, but it’s very rewarding and we’ve built many friendships with customers over the years.”

When Lionel and Jo were recently facing a huge bill to repair a leaking section of roof, the community rallied round and raised more than £5,000 through a crowdfunding initiative.

The couple have two grown-up children, Jack, a professional actor who cut his teeth with Taunton Thespians and now tours with the White Horse Theatre, and Lucy, who is completing her medical course.