Facing the trees of Ealing Green, a short stroll south of Ealing Broadway, Oxfam Music & Audio is a charity shop given over entirely to records, discs, tapes and the machines that play them. Every sale helps fund Oxfam’s work, and every visit brings a slightly different set of shelves.
Background / History
Oxfam runs just five specialist music shops across the UK, in Edinburgh, Glasgow, Reading, Southampton and here in Ealing, and this is the only one in London. Rather than tucking a few boxes of LPs into the corner of a general charity shop, the Ealing branch was set up as a standalone music store, with its own fitted browsers, genre dividers and a dedicated area for audio equipment. It is staffed largely by a loyal team of volunteers, many of whom bring real musical knowledge to the job, and it relies on donations from West London households, collectors clearing shelves and musicians moving on old gear. Quality control has long been a point of pride: records are checked before they go out, and anything scratched, warped or grubby does not make it to the racks.
What You’ll Find
Vinyl is the main draw, with LPs, 12-inch singles and 7-inch singles filed by genre across rock and pop, soul and R&B, dance, jazz and blues, reggae, sixties, folk, world music, soundtracks and classical. Alongside the vinyl sit deep runs of CD albums and singles, cassettes, the occasional 78 and promo, plus DVDs, Blu-rays and VHS tapes for film and music video fans. The audio corner is where the shop really differs from a typical record store: turntables, amplifiers, speakers, cassette decks and radios are tested before sale, and vintage musical instruments and amplification turn up regularly too. Everything is second-hand and donated, so prices stay sensibly low and the mix changes from day to day.
Experience / Atmosphere
The shop is compact but well laid out, with clearly labelled sections that make it easy to head straight for your favourite genre before drifting into the bargain bins. Because new donations arrive constantly, regulars drop in often, and part of the fun is never quite knowing what has landed since your last visit. The volunteers are friendly and happy to chat about what has come in, and the atmosphere is unhurried, with students, DJs, hi-fi tinkerers and casual browsers all flicking through the same racks. Buying here also feels good in a simple way: your new record or second-hand amplifier is helping to fight poverty elsewhere in the world.
Why Visit
- London’s only dedicated Oxfam music shop, one of just five in the UK
- Vinyl, CDs, cassettes, DVDs and Blu-rays sorted clearly by genre
- Tested hi-fi separates, turntables and vintage instruments alongside the music
- Fresh donations arriving constantly, so stock rarely looks the same twice
- Low prices, with every purchase supporting Oxfam’s work
- Easy to reach from Ealing Broadway and a pleasant spot on the edge of the Green
Summary
Oxfam Music & Audio brings together the thrill of a charity-shop rummage and the focus of a proper record shop. With carefully checked vinyl, a wide spread of formats, tested audio gear and a welcoming volunteer team, it is a worthwhile stop for anyone exploring West London’s record scene, and a good place to pass on your own unwanted music too.
