I visited Halewood & Sons in Preston and it looked like something out of Harry Potter!

I’d walked past this unassuming book store countless times but was unaware of its weird and wonderful interior that looked like something from Harry Potter.

Established in 1867 by the owner’s great, great grandfather William Halewood, Halewood & Sons offers a vast stock of rare, interesting and collectable books, maps and prints in all subject areas.

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Upon entering the store, I could tell that its layout and aesthetic was unlike any other book shop as it had mountains of products that looked dangerously close to toppling over.

Throughout the shop were winding paths, wide enough for only one person to fit through yet they were not difficult to navigate and added to the magical atmosphere.

The whole store had this sort of organised chaos feel about it where it seemed near impossible to find the book you're actually looking for yet you would happen to stumble across it straight away.

Owner of the store, Mike Halewood spoke about how the shop’s unusual design has come as a result of the amount of books they have on offer.

He said: “The setup has evolved over time with all the books we get offered that cover all sorts of subjects and material.

“Consequently, people walk in the shop and they think they’ve walked into a scene in Harry Potter!”

As an independent shop, Halewood isn’t trying to compete with larger companies such as Waterstones or WHSmith and has instead carved itself a niche.

The store doesn’t stock many new books and instead focussed on the rare, unique products as well as being able to individually source specific books customers may want.

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Mike said: “I’ve grown up in a bookshop and as the 5th generation in a family of booksellers, I just love books!

“We try to source books people have been looking for, help people to trace family history or assist collectors finish off their collections.

“We have a core of regular customers who pop in but we always welcome new faces and younger readers looking to start their reading journey!”