Sarah Anderson

Notting Hill travel-bookshop owner and author, Sarah Anderson talks to Lydia Williams about her famous Travel Bookshop, that film and the release of her autobiography

Grove magazine: What made you bring the Travel Bookshop to Notting Hill in 1981?
Sarah Anderson: I had a hunch about the area – specifically about the three streets Elgin Crescent, Blenheim Crescent and Kensington Park Road that make up that rather special three sides of a square. Many people tried to put me off saying: “Who’s heard of Notting Hill? No one will ever come to your shop”.

Grove magazine: What has changed in the last 25 years?
Sarah Anderson: Everyone has now heard of Notting Hill – the film put it firmly on the map.

Grove magazine: What hasn’t?
Sarah Anderson: The feeling of it being a neighbourhood.

Grove magazine: What would you do if you were Mayor of London for the day?
Sarah Anderson: Abolish bendy-buses and bring back the Routemasters – but not just for the day.

Grove magazine: What prompted you to write your autobiography, Halfway to venus, now?
Sarah Anderson: I had been writing it on and off for the last 15 years – and somehow (another hunch) I knew that now was the right time to get it published. But when yet another publisher told me that they loved it but it was uncategorisable – as far as I was concerned it was like a red rag to a bull and I thought, ok – I’ll publish it myself.

Grove magazine: Was it a difficult process to write?
Sarah Anderson: Yes. Partly because the writing was spread over many years and partly because, when I was writing about my childhood, I felt exactly as I had felt as a child when my mother told me that I was going to have my arm amputated. Over those 15 years several people encouraged me to change it in various ways and after a while I thought, no – this is my book and I’ll do it the way I want. It is an unusual book – but I think all the better for that.

Grove magazine: What are the common misconceptions about your disability?
Sarah Anderson: That there are things I can’t do and that I must find daily tasks hard. Oh, yes, and, that I must find swimming difficult – I was actually in the school swimming team.

Grove magazine: What is the greatest lesson you have learnt?
Sarah Anderson: That one should live life to the full at all times. You don’t get a second go at it.

Grove magazine: Who are your favourite authors?
Sarah Anderson: I love Annie Dillard, Barry Lopez, Jim Harrison and Robert Macfarlane – people who write about nature. I buy books all the time but one of the last books I bought was WG Sebald’s Austerlitz.

Grove magazine: When returning from your travels, where is your first port of call in Notting Hill?
Sarah Anderson: Sadly the area is changing – my first port of call would have been Fresh & Wild, to stock up on healthy food and to have a cup of coffee; now there are fewer and fewer ‘neighbourhood’ shops.

Grove magazine: How did you get involved in the film Notting Hill?
Sarah Anderson: Richard Curtis lived round the corner at the time and was a regular customer in the bookshop. One day he came in and said that he was thinking of writing a film set in a bookshop and could he sit in the shop for a few mornings and take notes. He did and the result was Notting Hill.

Grove magazine: Where is your favourite place on earth?
The West coast of Scotland.

Grove magazine: Are there any places still on your travel wish list?
Sarah Anderson:Yes – and they all seem to be wild places – North West Canada, the Arctic circle, the Okavango Delta and I’d love to drive from Broome to Darwin in Australia.

Grove magazine: Where would you spend a lost day in notting Hill?
Sarah Anderson: I would spend time in the spa at the Lambton Health Club, indulge in chocolates from Melt, buy flowers from Wild at Heart, have brunch at 206 and drink a civilised cup of tea at the Tea Palace.

Grove magazine: What do you miss about Notting Hill when you are away?
Sarah Anderson:Bumping into people I know. I have now lived in the area since 1981 and although it has changed a lot – there is still a core of people who have lived here far longer than me.

Grove magazine: Are you planning more books?
Sarah Anderson:I certainly have several ideas for books – but as yet nothing definite in mind.

Grove magazine: What’s your favourite view of London?
Sarah Anderson:The view from Parliament Hill – it shows the size and diversity of the city.

Grove magazine: Who is in your secret Notting Hill address book?
Sarah Anderson:When I first had a party at the 20th Century Theatre several years ago – I felt it was my discovery.

Halfway to Venus by Sarah Anderson is published by Umbrella Books (£12).