A POPULAR seasonal book fair will be back in St Albans Town Hall in the run up to Christmas – for this year at least. Paton s Book Fair had been a regular feature in the old courtroom and adjoining lobby of the Town Hall for years until it fell foul of re

A POPULAR seasonal book fair will be back in St Albans Town Hall in the run up to Christmas - for this year at least.

Paton's Book Fair had been a regular feature in the old courtroom and adjoining lobby of the Town Hall for years until it fell foul of refurbishment work last year which meant it could not be held.

Although Richard Child, the owner of Paton's Bookshop in Holywell Hill which closed in 2007, was eventually offered the use of the courtroom for the annual book fair which he wanted to continue running, it came too late for him to set it up last year.

And while Richard does not know if he will be able to continue to use the courtroom in future years, he is delighted to be back in 2009.

He said he had been overwhelmed last year by the response from local people when they learned in the Herts Advertiser that it could not take place.

He has always felt the Town Hall with its central location to be the best place for such an event which attracts visitors from miles around.

Richard went on: "Apart from many local people, others from the surrounding area make a special trip to St Albans to visit the book fair, partly because they enjoy seeing so many books displayed in the unusual and historic setting of the original 1831 courtroom."

He added: "We are not sure whether we will be allowed to continue using the courtroom in future years but we would very much like to do so."

The Town Hall is now operated and managed by STARTS - St Albans Arts.

This year's book fair opens on Saturday and will operate seven days a week throughout November and December. It features thousands of new books at reduced prices.

Further details can be found on the website www.stalbansbookfair.co.uk