A walk down 600-year-old Turl Street will take you past three Oxford colleges and a row of some of the oldest and best-respected shops in town. Nestled among them is Scriptum Fine Stationery. Inside, amid the smell of leather and the sound of Italian opera, you will find an Aladdin's Cave of hand-stitched leather-bound journals, dip pens, quills, Murano glass pens, inks, sealing wax, prints and Oxfordshire's largest assortment of Venetian masks.
We are also proud to number ourselves amongst Oxford's bookshops, with our small but exquisitely bound range of fiction books. Azeem Zakria, Scriptum's director and creative head, founded the business after being inspired by a stationery emporium in Florence.
We are also proud to number ourselves amongst Oxford's bookshops, with our small but exquisitely bound range of fiction books. Azeem Zakria, Scriptum's director and creative head, founded the business after being inspired by a stationery emporium in Florence.
Services
From luxury handmade paper to leather stationery boxes, compasses to globes, feather quills to marble busts - you can find every single one of our products here. Some are simply beautiful, others solidly functional, and a few are ever so slightly odd, but together they make a gloriously idiosyncratic collection for you to browse.
Leather-bound journals in a dazzling array of colours, sizes and styles. You can also find address books, visitors books, dinner party books, recipe books, wine records, and music manuscript journals here. From luxury leather journals to five year diaries, browse our collection of high quality notebooks right here.
All the bits and bobs you need to create a traditional wax seal. Traditional brittle "bank of England" style sealing wax for a gorgeous glossy finish, or flexible modern sealing wax in a rainbow of colours. For the melting, we have melting spoons for the Dickensian at heart, or spirit burners for easy sealing of dozens of letters or invitations in a session.
Our collection of beautifully bound literature includes a handsome range of leather-bound classics, and a few carefully selected books about our own special interests including typography, architecture, and of course, Oxford!
As we have so many titles, we do not have individual images ready for each book yet, but if you are interested in any particular title, please feel free to contact us to request images if you would like to see it before you buy!
As we have so many titles, we do not have individual images ready for each book yet, but if you are interested in any particular title, please feel free to contact us to request images if you would like to see it before you buy!
Buying one of our leather items? Give it a personal touch with our leather engraving service. The engraving - technically embossing, really - is carried out by hand at a local bindery which has been in operation since 1834. When ordering, please count the number of characters in your inscription carefully; spaces don't count, everything else does.
Reviews (16)
Jakub Chomko
Nov 24, 2021
Report
Tong Toshiko
Oct 24, 2021
Report
Paul Dawson
Sep 20, 2021
Report
Dr. Josie A. Peters
Jul 26, 2021
Report
Kate Padiachy
May 25, 2021
Report
Richard Michael
Dec 19, 2020
Report
I came across this wonderful store whilst searching for some extra special interior design pieces for a project I'm working on.I was looking for something that stood out and had the 'WOW' factor.
The staff were exceptionally helpful and polite.
I purchased a pair of cherubs. Quite unusual. Most definitely WOW!
I shall return soon as my eye caught many other items too.
I also bought 2 traditional Christmas cards. I'm sure the priest I'm sending them to will smile when he pulls them from the envelope.
The staff were exceptionally helpful and polite.
I purchased a pair of cherubs. Quite unusual. Most definitely WOW!
I shall return soon as my eye caught many other items too.
I also bought 2 traditional Christmas cards. I'm sure the priest I'm sending them to will smile when he pulls them from the envelope.
Alice Gold
Oct 17, 2020
Report
Nicola Sycz
Sep 22, 2019
Report
Lulu Y.
Jul 20, 2019
Report
Denise Whichello
Jun 22, 2019
Report
Joshua M.
Oct 13, 2018
Report
What a fabulous shop! I was utterly charmed from the moment I stepped through the doorway. The staff in the shop were unfailingly kind and patient with me as I tried out a variety of fountain pens.
At the end of my visit, I walked away a wonderful new purchase and a smile on my face. I will happily visit this shop again when I am next in Oxford.
Good customer service is an increasing rarity, but this shop has it in spades!
At the end of my visit, I walked away a wonderful new purchase and a smile on my face. I will happily visit this shop again when I am next in Oxford.
Good customer service is an increasing rarity, but this shop has it in spades!
Jillian K.
May 28, 2017
Report
If I could live in a store, it would be this one. Amazing ranges of antiques, curios and gifts, and of course stationery supplies. As a calligrapher, I am especially partial to their amazing selection of inks! Best yet, the staff is friendly and enthusiastic about their products - they'll happily do a test run with inks so you can make a well-informed decision. Unfortunately, it does fill up with tourists a bit, making it harder to get service, but still worthwhile.
Melanie B.
Feb 27, 2015
Report
Patricia O.
Oct 28, 2013
Report
We stumbled upon this store wandering around Oxford and spent over an hour inside enjoying browsing. Scriptum is like an old curiosity shop for academics with lots of fountain pens, stamps, paper products, bookends, old books, and desk and office decorations. Even my teenaged kids loved it. The staff was really nice and very helpful. They encouraged us to look at items rather than making us feel unwelcome or like we were going to break something if we touched it.
Qype User Gweiss
Jul 03, 2009
Report
The service doesn't live up to the price you pay. We've bought a photo album there and got it embossed. Since the album was the last exemplar available (the owner of the shop urged us to buy it immediately, because otherwise it might be sold to somebody else), we agreed to take it even though it had traces of usage. We got it embossed with two lines of text (centered), one of which we wanted to have in a larger font. When we got it, both lines were the same size, and one of them wasn't centered properly. For the premium you pay, we'd have expected a better service.
Qype User EleM
May 20, 2009
Report
Very expensive, exclusive stationary shop. Only visit if you are intending to spent alot or are very strong willed. Wide range of fountain pens, quills, calligraphy pens etc. Reasonable range of paper but mostly bound into journals and note books. Has a small 2nd hand book area upstairs. Can print bindings to order.
