Christmas Shopping: Traditional Toys

Ditch the downloads, iPads and Nintendo Wiis, and fill your child's stocking with a collection of bright, long-lasting traditional toys this Christmas. From dolls houses to rocking horses, wooden playthings to magic tricks, London's independent toy shops are brimming with sturdy, well-made and aesthetically pleasing trinkets. Many of our chosen shops are also a joy to visit and offer a range of in-house events and activities for children to help distract them while you shop.

Benjamin Pollock's Toyshop

44 The Market, Covent Garden
This treasure trove of children's toys can be found in the South Piazza of the covered market in Covent Garden. Traditional toys of all descriptions are displayed in jars, crammed onto shelves and dangled from the ceiling in an inviting spectacle of childhood nostalgia. Find the beautifully crafted marionettes, spinning tops, Jack in the Boxes, Russian dolls, glove puppets, toy soldiers, and even a rather unusual Praxinoscope, which lets children experiment with simple animation. That's not all; Benjamin Pollock's Toyshop is probably best known for its delightful selection of toy theatres. You can get anything from a matchbox theatre set to a shadow puppet theatre to a magnetic theatre, all of which allow children to let their imagination run riot. Covent Garden Market itself is a real treat at Christmas, with its grand display of seasonal lights, and interactive Kissmas installation. As well as shopping, visitors can enjoy the experienced and entertaining street artists performing throughout the day, and the seasonal fare offered by the local stallholders. For an infusion of culture, why not drop into the fantastic London Transport Museum on the Piazza, or see some high art at the Royal Opera House.

Benjamin Pollock's Toyshop - Information

Bob & Blossom

140 Columbia Road, London, E2 7RG
Usually this shop is only open on a Sunday, when the flower market is in full sway, but Bob & Blossom also opens on Saturdays and Wednesday evenings during the pre-Christmas shopping season. This boutique is best known for its range of striped clothes and blankets for babies and toddlers, but it also stocks a good range of traditional toys. Knitted animals, retro chiming rocking dolls, pull-along cats and spinning tops are just some of the choices on offer, and Bob & Blossom's striped gifts boxes make any choice of present a respectable addition to the pile under the Christmas tree. If you do come while the market is on, you could do worse than stock up on festive blooms, wreaths and a tree while you're at it.

Bob & Blossom - Information

Chelsea Toys

Chelsea Green, 53 Godfrey Street, London, SW3 3SX
This Chelsea favourite has a corner position, with two large picture windows facing both road fronts; all the better to show off its wares. Chelsea Toys has changed its name (formerly Traditional Toys), and its frontage from deep blue to grey, but it remains a treasure trove of beautifully crafted playthings: cars, trains, planes, musical boxes, helicopters, trucks, puzzles and building blocks. We particularly like the laser cut shadow puppets and the build-your-own wooden toys. The shop also has a range of seven garden playhouses that can be made to order – at a Chelsea price tag of course, but they are lovely (prices start at £1,400). They have also just started supplying Flights of Fantasy play structures and furniture. Chelsea Toys aims to stock toys and games that are timeless, with an appeal that stretches beyond fads and trends. The V & A, the Natural History Museum (and ice rink) and the Science Museum are all within walking distance if you fancy a break from toy shopping.

Chelsea Toys - Information

Davenports Magic Shop

7 Charing Cross Underground Shopping Arcade, WC2N 4HZ
Even Derren Brown and Paul Daniels had to start somewhere… and for magic and mystery, this is as good a place as any you'll find in London. Davenports Magic Shop was established in 1898 by Lewis Davenport and is a haven for tricksters of every ability. From sleight of hand to escapology, from card tricks to levitation, whatever your interest, you'll find the books and props to make it all possible. The shop is friendly and family-run, with professional magicians giving regular demonstrations and informed advice. Davenports even has a range of items made exclusively for the shop, so head here if you want a magic wand like no other. Browsing is just as much fun as buying, but with prices as low as £2.50 for a set of basic sponge balls used in close up tricks, it would be hard to come away completely empty handed. Great for stocking fillers as well as 'the main event' presents.

Davenports Magic Shop - Information

Dotty Dot

67a St Helens Gardens, London, W10 6LL

In the age of global brand saturation and big-name merchandising it's sometimes hard to find a toy that's original. The idea behind Dotty Dot is that everything in the shop should be good enough to pass down to the next generation. Shoppers looking for something a little bit special will find colourful modernist alphabet blocks designed by Alexander Girard, knitted and felt animals and characters designed by Royal College of Art alumna Donna Wilson, handmade wooden birds by Kristian Vedel and tactile, playful children's books designed by Katsumi Komogata. There's also a range of traditional favourites including hobby horses, spinning tops, push-along toys, magnetic fishing games and craft kits. New to the shop this year is a pencil case children decorate themselves and some wind-up jumping and singing tops.

More info: Dotty Dot Map, Prices, Opening Times and Nearest Tube

Harrods

87-135 Brompton Road, Knightsbridge, SW1X 7XL
Toy Kingdom is on the fourth floor of one of London's most famous department stores. Get here early in the day to avoid the crowds and you'll have a delightful Christmas shopping experience, even if prices aren't exactly recession-busting. Harrods has a really impressive range of traditional toys; the top end (and gasp-inducingly expensive) rocking horses and pedal cars provide aspirational eye candy, but there's plenty here to satisfy more modest budgets, like the Fold and Go wooden dolls' house with furniture and dolls included and the Petit Cuisine wooden kitchen. Such is the popularity of Santa's grotto, visitors must book ahead for the privilege. Hyde Park with its Christmas ice rink and festive Winter Wonderland is just a short walk away, so you can make a great family day of it.

Harrods - Information

Honeyjam

267 Portobello Road, London, W11 1LR
Right in the heart of trendy Notting Hill, Honeyjam is a favourite with nostalgia-hungry parents with deep pockets. The shop's best-selling item is its mini Aga, exclusive to the shop, and with a price tag of £350. It's all so enticingly laid out, with toys, games, dressing up outfits and other gems displayed in a deceptively random fashion over shelves, on the floor and on the walls. The brainchild of Irish model Jasmine Guinness (nickname 'Jam') and lifelong friend Honey Bowdrey, Honeyjam evolved because the two women couldn't find toys they wanted for their kids. Adults and children alike are charmed by the lovely things on display, and will want to pick up just about everything and take it home with them. Pirate ships and castles, dolls' houses and fairy wands… There's something for just about everyone.

Honeyjam - Information

Mystical Fairies

12 Flask Walk, London, NW3 1HE
This Hampstead little girls' shop resembles Santa's grotto all year round. Thousands of small and gorgeous trinkets hang down from silver branches criss-crossing the ceiling. The shelves around the walls reach from floor to ceiling and are laden with fairy paraphernalia, and all things princess, ballerina, elf and pixie. There are tea sets, books, sticker strips, games, puzzles, soft toys and stationary as well as clothing, jewellery and bedding on a feminised mystical theme. At Christmas, extra decorations transform Mystical Fairies into a full-blown winter wonderland. At the back of the shop, there's a dressing-up section, and that's the only spot where boys get a look-in. Fairy makeovers are available every day, while the ever-popular Fairy Schools take place on 13th, 15th and 20th December for 4-8 year-olds, and on 16th December for toddlers. You can gather some presents while your youngsters learn the art of "fairying". If all this pretty, girly stuff gets a bit stifling, you can always reconnect with their inner tomboy by going straight to nearby Hampstead Heath for a spot of tree-climbing afterwards.

Mystical Fairies - Information

Never Never Land

3 Mildhurst Parade, Fortis Green, London, N10 3EJ
Muswell Hill's Fortis Green Road is full of these small but perfectly formed shop units with their enticingly large bay windows revealing the delights inside. Never Never Land is around the corner from the main stretch, but it's worth seeking out. The devoted owner is particularly expert at seeking out unusual wooden toys and puppets – look out for the owl puppet with her three finger puppet babies (great for re-enacting the popular children's book Owl Babies, in which Sarah, Percy and Bill wait for their mummy to return). It has an unusually large range of lovely wooden dolls' houses, which are exclusive to the shop. You can buy them in kit form, or pre-made, or pre-made and painted. What's more, the shop also sells a fantastically detailed range of furniture, wallpaper, dolls and accessories to furnish the houses – fun for all the family. This classy toy emporium also sells castles, wooden kitchens and appealing ride-on toys.

Never Never Land - Information

Patrick's Toys & Models

107 Lillie Road, London, SW6 7SX
Patrick's Toys is a family business that has been delighting children for over 60 years. The shop specialises in traditional toys and games and is also a hobbyist mecca for Hornby train sets, Scalextric tracks and cars and paintable action figures. There's something for all ages, with colourful baby and pre-school toys, rocking horses, toy cots, Ty soft toys, Lego and dolls galore. Patrick's stock fewer board games than it used to, because demand has decreased with the rise of the computer game, but there's still a decent choice on display. Remote control cars, helicopters, boats and planes are still as popular as ever though, and the pedal cars always fascinate children too.

More info: Patrick's Toys & Models Map, Prices, Opening Times and Nearest Tube

Petit Chou

15 St Christopher's Place, W1U 1NR
Just off the exclusive specialist shopping area of Wigmore Street, lies Petit Chou, which stocks all sorts of beautiful toys for children up to the age of 10. It was opened in 2005 by artists Marty St James and Iveta Petrakova, and quickly became famous for its unusual and elegant array of handcrafted toys from all over the world. There's a wooden London Routemaster and a London Taxi, both of which come with passengers to take on and off. The beautiful vintage pedal cars come in green and red and are built in steel for strength. Educational toys include an abacus, 3D puzzles, alphabet blocks, pull-along construction trains and animal sets, all made in wood. A quick exploration will also reveal dolls' houses, pirate ships, musical toys and role play toys.

Petit Chou - Information

Pollock's Toy Museum and Shop

1 Scala Street, W1T 2HL
Tucked around the corner from Tottenham Court Road, this seems an unlikely place to find a collection of toys. The museum's warren of atmospheric rooms is crammed with historic examples of board games, toys, dolls, miniature theatres and other playthings from around the world. It's all crammed inside two townhouses (one 18th, the other 19th century), but you don't have to visit the museum to enjoy the contents of the toy shop downstairs. Live toy theatre performances take place during school holidays so if you've got the children in tow you might want to settle them in front of a performance while you grab a few bits in the shop. It has plenty of stocking fillers as well as larger toys; you'll find wind-up music boxes, animal masks, tin robots, games and cards, as well as reproduction cardboard theatres (the museum and shop are named after Benjamin Pollock, the last of the Victorian Theatre printers). The British Museum is only a short walk away so you can carry on your cultural foray into the past with a quick tour followed by more present-buying in the museum's shop, which is also stocked with unique items (including a Harry Potter chess set and Egyptian mummy masks).

Pollock's Toy Museum and Shop - Information

Queens

111b Commercial Street, Spitalfields Market, London, E1 6BG
Kitsch, colourful, cute and cuddly, this glitzy gift grotto in Spitalfields is irresistible. Wander around its magical wonderland and make friends with flirting fairies, kissing fish, perky-eyed reindeer and nutcracking squirrels. Christmas time is when Queens really comes alive with the sights, sounds and smells of the season, so head here and indulge in some old-fashioned gaudy glamour. (Warning: avoid if alergic to glitter...) The perfect antidote to the high street, there's always loads going on at Spitalfields Market, with galleries, stalls, shops, restaurants and bars all competing for the attention of visitors. Sunday is the best time to visit if you want the full complement of stalls and Christmas shopping opportunities.

Queens - Information

Soup Dragon

27 Topsfield Parade, Crouch End, London, N8 8PT & 106 Lordship Lane, East Dulwich, London, SE22 8HF
It's no accident that this exciting grotto of an outfit set up shop in two of the most family-friendly of London's villages, Crouch End and East Dulwich. Soup Dragon offers an exquisite selection of traditional toys, craft kits, kites, ride-on toys, train sets, games, dolls' houses, pocket money toys and more. There's also a good choice of affordable clothes in colourful stripes and prints; Soup Dragon stocks Katvig, Green Baby, Kidorable and many other brands. Books, music CDs and storytime CDs get their own small section and there are dressing up outfits too. The original Crouch End branch is like a cave, and once inside, children aren't usually keen to leave, particularly as there's always a train set and a play kitchen left out to amuse youngsters while their parents scan the shelves. Staff are usually very good at giving tips and advice, so it's easy to find something appropriate for all ages and tastes.

Soup Dragon, Crouch End - Information
Soup Dragon, East Dulwich - Information