An excellent independent bookshop. It has a rare feature which most indie bookshops don't - it is both immaculately curated and stocks a very wide range of titles. I visited around a dozen indie bookshops across four cities and towns in June, and Red Lion was the only place which stocked most of the recently published fiction by indie presses which I wanted to buy. However, the bookshop really serves the community as a whole, not just literary readers with niche tastes - the A Level core texts are helpfully placed on a separate self and the shop has a wide selection of YA and children's books, as well. A model indie bookshop.

Some of the friendliest staff in Colchester, always a pleasant experience when I go in, and their enormous selection of books never fails to make me leave with something I didn't need, but desperately wanted

A lovely bookshop with knowledgeable staff who are only too happy to recommend titles and help.

A local book shop with a good selection of stock. The staff are very friendly and they were extremely helpful when I placed an order for a selection of books for my place of work. Thank you

Nice independent book shop on Colchester High St. Worth finding. Good selection. Enthusiastic staff. Go there

My favourite shop in Colchester, what's not to love, it's filled with books! Lovely helpful staff, and if they haven't got a book they will order it in for you and it's quite often available the next day! A million times better than 'the website that will not be named'!