Forget Selfridges or Liberty! Fenwicks Contemporary Womenswear department has the biggest selection of Sonia Rykiel this side of Paris, amongst other great labels such as Thomsen, Dagmar, Les-Prairies-de-Paris and See by Chloe. But the best thing about it – it's quiet!

It's a members-only library but you might be granted access with a research request. The writer's room is great but there's a few special, hidden corners among the bookshelves to tuck yourself away in.

Beautiful park

Get on the list for tickets and surprise someone who will appreciate the 'village of books' upstairs in particular.

There are very few better places to be on a summer's day than the massive beer garden at People’s Park Tavern on Victoria Park