ONE of Oxford’s longest-serving booksellers is closing her shop in Oxford’s High Street to take up a new career as a teacher.

Waterfield’s, which has been selling secondhand books since 1973, is to close at the end of the summer.

The shop is one of the few remaining independent secondhand bookshops in the city.

At one point, the shop boasted a stock of more than 100,000 volumes over four floors in its former home in Park End Street.

Now, some business is done over the Internet, and the shop is expected to close in early September, following a discount sale of about 10,000 volumes.

Owner Ann Gate, who lives near Chipping Norton, said: “It’s sad that another secondhand bookshop in Oxford is going, and when they have all gone people will realise what they have lost.

“People might think the shop is closing due to the recession but that’s not the case – I have been a bookseller for 32 years and I need a complete change. I start a teaching course in September at Oxford Brookes University and I plan to teach English to secondary school pupils.

“I’m a former pupil of Headington School, so I would like to think I could get a teaching post somewhere in Oxfordshire.”

Mrs Gate said Robin Waterfield started the business in 1973, before opening his bookshop in Park End Street in 1977.

Mrs Gate joined the staff in September 1977, and from 1988 ran the business with her husband John Stephens. He died from cancer three years ago, aged 57.

Mrs Gate, who is in her mid-50s, added: “John owned the shop from 1988 to 2006 when he died, and it’s true to say that it’s more difficult to run the shop on your own when you are used to doing it in partnership with someone else.

“The nature of the business has changed over the years — Oxford dons have smaller houses, so they tend not to buy quite so many books.”

Waterfield’s specialised in humanities, in particular English literature, philosophy, history, classics, and theology.

It has regularly produced catalogues in categories including 17th and 18th century books, 19th century books, modern first editions and academic collections.

Mrs Gate, who catalogued the library of Vivien Greene, the widow of novelist Graham Greene, added: “All my neighbours in the High Street have told me how sorry they are to see me going.”

Graham Jones, a spokesman for the Oxford High Street Association, said: “It will be very sad to lose Waterfield’s, and I hope the landlords, St Edmund Hall, will find a suitable replacement.

“It would be good if another independent trader opened up there.”

affrench@oxfordmail.co.uk